All posts by Simon Curran

Simon Curran explores Psalm 122 – a psalm that gives voice to pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. Today, it is a reminder to pray for peace and to know our identity as God’s true temple.

‘High places can be beautiful but they can be fearful. They can be inspiring but they can be threatening.’ Psalm 121 captures the experience of a pilgrim on the way to Jerusalem, remembering that God is watching over their every step.

Simon Curran unpacks Psalm 120, the first of the so-called Songs of Ascent. The psalmist yearns for peace but is surrounded by contrary voices.

The longest of the Psalms, Psalm 119 takes us through the long story of Israel and explores God’s laws, or Torah. Might rules not be such a bad thing after all?

Psalm 118 would have been the last of the psalms sung by Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper. It reveals something of his confidence as he walked the path of obedience to the cross.

Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, so it’s a great place to start if you want to start memorising scripture! Simon Curran points out its simple reminder to us in the midst of life’s circumstances.

Psalm 116 could have been one of the songs Jesus and his disciples sang together at the Last Supper. Simon explores the resonance of this psalm as we remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, ‘It is a strange glory, the glory of this God.’ Simon Curran reads Psalm 115 and reflects on the Isenheim altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald.

Psalm 113 is one of a series of songs which celebrate Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Simon Curran points out the way in which Jesus’ promises enable us to celebrate in the same way today.

Psalm 113 calls us to praise God as ‘almighty’, but this is mightiness unlike anything else we might encounter. This is might that is shown primarily through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

God wants to bless us with good things. But Psalm 112 sheds light on his expectations for those who are materially wealthy.