An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
By Chad Bird
09/30/25
8mins

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335
St. Michael, Defender of God’s People
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
09/29/25

St. Michael, Defender of God’s People

Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?
Yardwork and the Antichrist
1517 Guest Contributor
1517 Guest Contributor
09/26/25

Yardwork and the Antichrist

The Antichrist offers another continual presence. It is every whisper that tempts us toward autonomy, that tells us to carry it alone, that insists suffering is meaningless.

All Articles

Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
02/16/17

Forgiveness At Every Level

Whatever level of sin you're rummaging around in, forgiveness and grace is yours.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
02/13/17

Joy Has No Expiration Date: A Story of Love Worth Waiting For

Their love story was a long time in coming. He was 82 and she 74. And this was the first, and the last, marriage for both.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
01/19/17

Drunks On Horseback

According to Martin Luther, it is human nature is a little like a drunkard trying to ride a horse.
RJ Grunewald
RJ Grunewald
12/13/16

Grace In The Shadows

On the television show Portlandia—a satirical comedy centered on hipster culture in Portland, Oregon—one episode highlights a conversation between the characters as Carrie and Alexandra look through Fred’s endless photo album of the places he’s traveled.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
12/12/16

Grace Came Down

God coming to us at Christmas encapsulates the essence of Christian faith: we don't make ourselves strong and then work our way up to a strong God.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
12/09/16

Spending Advent in God’s Winter Garden

So it is with my little garden as well; dead, so it would seem. Nothing. Barren.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
10/27/16

Grace Is Waiting

I often dance around the idea of denominations. I've been Pentecostal and I guess Evangelical.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
10/26/16

Gospel Upside-Downness

Have you ever really thought about how crazy your salvation is? You may have never thought of it in those terms, but truly, your redemption and rescue from eternal damnation is a jarring truth, one that should spawn tears of joy and shouts of praise.
Kathy Morales
Kathy Morales
10/11/16

Chosen

A significant election is quickly approaching. A candidate will be chosen to hold the highest office in our nation.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/27/16

My Favorite Dirty Word in Church

You became, for a time, ritually unclean. Not sinful. Not immoral. To be unclean meant you bore in your own body the effects of a creation in bondage to decay.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
09/23/16

Hobbits and the Greatest Story of All

Fairy tales are but one chapter in the book we call storytelling. We may prefer reading other kinds of stories (mystery, science fiction, and so on).
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/22/16

Why is God Hanging out with the Wrong People?

Imagine if Zacchaeus posted on Jerusalem's Facebook a selfie with Jesus. The top dog among the tax-gougers with Christ at his dinner table. Oh, the outrage! The puritanical zealots would have been tweeting and blogging about it for months.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.