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

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?

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.

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Peter Nafzger

02/07/21

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9 (Transfiguration: Series B)

It is hard to see clearly these days. While we have never been able to see as much as we would like, today we are more aware of our inability to perceive things as they really are.

Rick Ritchie

02/04/21

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Spell

Bonhoeffer was in the unenviable position of trying to break a spell. The spell was the Nazi crisis, where the totalitarian state threatened the church, and yet to many, seemed to be saving the culture and nation from mortal dangers.

Katie Koplin

02/03/21

What Do I Have to Give?

Regardless of my experience, my talents, or even my mood, it’s these gifts of Christ that I have to give away. They are all I have, and they are everything.

Robert Kolb

01/31/21

The Gift of Seeing Ourselves as Others See Us

Trusting in Christ’s promise of new life and deliverance pours the ability to abandon fixing our eyes only inwardly and lets us see ourselves as others see us.

Peter Nafzger

01/31/21

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 (Epiphany 5: Series B)

What is Jesus' conception of, “How is God’s kingship made effective?” It would happen through preaching.

Tyler Cronkright

01/28/21

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

And because Jesus on the cross was sin in its entirety, God cannot look at him. He turns his face away, causing Jesus to cry out in utmost agony, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Pete Lange

01/27/21

Why Does Our God Have Many Names?

From the womb to the tomb, from the cradle to the grave, Jesus’ name defines and describes who he is and what he is all about.

Grant Klembara

01/25/21

Death's End according to Poet John Donne

Out of great pain and suffering often comes goodness, beauty, and truth. John Donne, born on the 22nd of January in 1573, is an excellent example of that for us in his masterful work, Death Be Not Proud.

David Schmitt

01/24/21

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 (Epiphany 4: Series B)

God’s people have gathered in worship while there is a war going on, and this war has two opponents: The Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. There is no middle ground.

Sarah Crowder

01/18/21

Receiving a New Name: Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freedom and reconciliation were significant themes for both of the Martin Luthers.

David Schmitt

01/17/21

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 (Epiphany 3: Series B)

But Jesus comes to us today and reminds us that He has the power to make disciples in the midst of conflict and suffering.

Martin Luther

01/15/21

Of Works And Grace

The kingdom of Christ consists in finding all our praise and boast in grace. Other works should be free, not to be urged, nor should we wish by them to become Christians, but condescend with them to our neighbor.

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