Psalm 66: Thanksgiving for the Past Season


For the internet readers. A blog. A celebration.

1 Shout for joy to God, all the Stevens!
2 Sing the proofs of his faithfulness for the last few months;
    make his praise as loud as our neighbor's garage band.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your plans!
    So great is your arranging of a nanny for us,
    and now the marriage of Katie and Alec.

4 All the earth bows down to God;
    they sing praise to you for the friendships made,
    they sing praises for the new marriage beginning.”

5 Come and see what God has done,
    his awesome deeds for our family!
6 He turned my postpartum weeks into rest,
    I passed through the turmoil with help—
    come, let us rejoice for the months that Katie dwelt here!

7 She loved our children through your great love,
    her eyes watched over the household affairs—
    let not this desperate mother forget your faithfulness.



8 Praise our God, all peoples,
    let the words of his praise be read in other countries;
9 he has expanded our family to five
    and he will continue to provide each day.
10  For you, God, tested us at the birth of each child;
    you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into parenthood
    and laid another soul in our arms.
12 You let sleeplessness cloud our heads;
    through labor and postpartum,
    but you brought us through each season of exhaustion.

13 I will go to church with a stroller
    and let the older generations see the blessings of God —
14 blessings for which my friends prayed and my eyes wept
    for fear of miscarrying.
15 I will dine richly at Phlights in celebration
    and Mission Square and Niko Niko Sushi;
    I will raise my Martinelli's and decaf coffee.


16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
    let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him at midnight, two and four a.m.;
    his praise was in my clouded thoughts.
18 If I had dozed off mid-prayer,
    the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely jerked me awake with baby cries
    and has answered our pleas for peace and wisdom and grace.
20 Praise be to God,
    who has given us much more than we could ever ask
    and heaped his love upon us!


Comments

Unknown said…
I love what you're doing with psalms! Maybe you were inspired by our Beth Moore lesson a few weeks ago - I loved filling that one in with my own thoughts. Thanks so much for sharing this! It's a blessing.
It was inspiring. Feels a little sacrilegious too.
Patty said…
I love it too, and it is inspiring me to do the same! It really brings God into our own lives!
Blessings, Abby!