Week 1: Psalm 34
Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Prayer Requests
May 1 – This May, we are praying for the relationships of Chinese Christians. Pray their relationships will honor God.
May 2 – Pray for Chinese Christians to “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Ps. 34:14)
May 3 – Pray for Chinese Christians to “taste and see” God’s goodness, and to take refuge in him. (Ps. 34)
May 4 – Pray for Chinese believers to rest in God, knowing he is a safe fortress who protects and surrounds them.
May 5 – Pray for Chinese Christians to have an intimate relationship with God that sustains them in their relationships with others.
May 6 – Pray for the COVID situation in Shanghai, for those enduring long lockdowns and struggling with food insecurity.
May 7 – Pray for Christians in COVID lockdowns to show God’s love to their neighbors as they together face a stressful and uncertain situation.
In His Fortress
Read a reflection on Psalm 34 from a Chinese Christian.
Week 2: Psalm 15
1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
Prayer Requests
April 10 – Pray that the church in China would cling to Christ, who imparts his righteousness on them, rather than walk in self-righteousness.
April 11 – Pray that the church in China would be empowered to “walk blamelessly” by the Spirit (Ps. 15).
April 12 – Pray for pandemic prevention and control in Shanghai in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak, and for health and safety for believers there.
April 13 – Continue to pray for the families of those affected by the China Eastern plane crash at the end of March.
April 14 – Pray that the Chinese church would love their neighbors and “do no evil” against them (Ps. 15).
April 15 – Pray that the Chinese church would despise vileness and honor and fear the Lord (Ps. 15).
April 16 – Pray that the Chinese church would walk with integrity, and love and care for the innocent and oppressed (Ps 15).
The Culture of the Kingdom of Heaven
Read a reflection on Psalm 15 from a Chinese Christian.
Week 3: Psalm 51
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Prayer Requests
April 17 – This Easter, thank the Lord for his unfailing love to the church in China, that he has cleansed them whiter than snow.
April 18 – Pray that Christians in China would have “broken and contrite hearts,” rather than pride, before the Lord (Ps. 51).
April 19 – Pray for Christians in Shanghai who are donning protective gear to serve their neighbors in the midst of massive COVID outbreak and lockdowns.
April 20 – Pray for Christians in Central China who were recently arrested and fined for worshiping at unregistered churches.
April 21 – Pray that desire for power or comfort would not keep Chinese Christians from humble repentance from sin (Ps 51).
April 22 – Pray that Chinese Christians would repent with gospel-awareness rather than moralism.
April 23 – Pray that God would always be “restoring the joy of salvation” to Chinese believers with the assurance of forgiveness (Ps 51).
A Song of Joyful Repentance
Read a reflection on Psalm 51 from a Chinese Christian.
Week 4: Psalm 37
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
Prayer Requests
April 24 – Pray that Chinese believers would “fret not because of evildoers” but rather “trust in the Lord and do good” (Ps 37).
April 25 – Pray for believers in Shanghai to be examples of love in the midst of the high tension caused by the continued harsh lockdowns.
April 26 – Pray that Chinese Christians would know that the Lord will never forsake them, but preserve them through trials (Ps 37).
April 27 – Pray for Chinese believers to be good neighbors to those in their community who are sick, hurting, or in need.
April 28 – Pray that the Lord would right injustice and deliver the downtrodden in China from the wicked.
April 29 – Pray that Chinese Christians would embrace a spirit of meekness and “delight themselves in abundant peace” (Ps 37).
April 30 – Thank the Lord that though “none are righteous” (Rom 3:10) he has imparted his righteousness on Chinese believers.
Fret Not Yourself Because of Evildoers
Read a reflection on Psalm 37 from a Chinese Christian.
