The Winds of the Spirit and psalm 113

Central to this psalm is the complete reversal for individuals only obtained thru the grace of the Lord’s presence for this reversal.

Psalm 113 reads as followed in the New Oxford Annotated Bible translated:

Praise the Lord

Praise, O servants of the Lord

Praise the name of the Lord

Blessed be the name of the Lord

From this time on and forevermore,

From the rising of the sun to its setting

The name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations,

and his glory above the heavens,

Who is like the Lord our God,

Who is seated on high,

who looks far down on the heavens and the earth,

He raises the poor from the dust,

and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes,

with the princes of his people,

He gives the barren women a home,

Making her the joyous mother of children,

Praise the Lord.

This psalm is all about the significant reversals actually experienced and manifest through the presence of the Lord’s presiding graces for specific individuals.

It is difficult to go past the boundaries of a situation, and actually get a reversal. People often think about what needs to happen to get past and get to a certain wanted or desired position, and they also tend to forget what they already might have gotten past previously as earlier evidence that they can get past some things.

People immersed in less desirable situations, might also find the situation is so firmly established, that the feeling seems to be it has to continue this way. This feeling contributes to creating a lack of openness to the possibility that things could be significantly different and in the ways that this difference could amount to a betterment.

You don’t have to have in hand obtained a reversal to go into prayer. The symbolic poor person mentioned in this psalm can be a great intercessor as a poor person. A relative pauper in whatever way can have power in the kingdom of prayer.

But things don’t always have to play out the way they already are and there can be a decided openness that the Lord performs complete reversals.

The Lord will bring along what he wants to bring along.

This psalm speaks to expectations, where people seem to be mired in the overriding forces of what they are facing and the overlay of the presenting circumstances and it is not likely that the opportunities of the moment are gathering in their favor. Getting on another track just doesn’t seem all that possible.

Today’s societies, have different set ups then at the time of the composition of the psalm. There are probably more patches of opportunities for real and varied paths for people in the here and now through the societal means available.

Yet many people today are experiencing similar situations where they just feel stuck in the mud although in today’s times it might be a different kind of mud.

People may feel they can get past some of the traps and uncertainties that have held them in an abbey from their wishes, but once they get past one obstacle, others will crop up that are even more menacing to their hopes.

The reversals mentioned here as from the hand of the Lord for individuals were rather complete and on the complete other side of the spectrum of what these issues involved. The barren woman is now the joyous mother of children, the poor and needed are sitting with princes.

We don’t really know from this psalm of the personal reactions of the people in these situations. Were they actually complaining to the Lord, and asking for redress? It is likely they recognized their situation, but it is possible they were resigned to it, or brushed it to the side, figuring, not much can be done about it, maybe there was a dream in all this of something better and different, but it simply withered.

People tend to confine their thinking to the way things have been going, especially if it has been going this way for a long period of time.

For people that are trying to actualize a hope for a reversal, even if it is a brushed aside hope, there can be sensitivity to the issue of what the Lord raises and brings to the forefront.

This psalm would relate to a greater sensitivity and a paying attention to the winds of the Spirit.



The first thing to heed is the winds of the Spirit rather than what anything else is telling you, including your own wisdom, ideas, what is already in vogue and seems to be settled often for worse.

Free will would be involved and the reversal might come first more as a leading to be followed. That leading may not be followed because maybe that individual feels like they have knocked on that door previously enough, and nobody answered the door so they have closed the door from their point of view permanently, even though it may now be a door they can open and walk thru into a new personal era.

Also, the reversal tends to involve more unknowns, because now, I really don’t know myself that way. But the direction of the Spirit may lead us into unknowns.

The other lesson is not to think that you have total knowledge of yourself, your abilities off what is and has been your situation. The Holy Spirit knows all, and will set your sails with knowledge of what is for the best.

The general idea of this psalm is that the Lord does reverse and being sensitive to that as a possibility is called for according to the understanding of this psalm and this can be done without predicating the whole prayer relationship on the idea of reversal. Because the prayer relationship needs to be maintained which is a major theme of this psalm where it says, from this time on and forevermore and from the rising of the sun to the setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. This is the first order of the day, to maintain an attitude of prayer and praise regardless of the circumstances of the day. This psalm is saying to start early with this and keep going. Sometimes people say, I’m busy at this time of my life and when I’m much older I’ll sit in the church and say some prayers. This psalm is saying to get going right from the beginning of whatever you are doing, from the rising of the sun, on whatever endeavor you are undertaking, take into the account praising the Lord.

And this reversal might be like hearing from a long lost friend, their voice now only a faint memory now revived by their new found presence.

If this reversal is happening, we don’t want to put limitations on this reversal, as it’s the Lord’s reversal, and whether it comes suddenly, gradually, and whether it could extend this way or that way, an attitude of openness should remain. Let the winds of the Spirit extend fully.

The word prince indicates the reversal is fully settled, if it’s not one prince I’m sitting with, it’s another. There can be a complete reversal on one wheel but also on all the wheels of your life. And sitting indicates it’s here to stay, that the new situation is not fleeting and there is ampleness to the new found situation. The reversal is here and it is staying here. I’m not just waving to princes as I pass by but I’m sitting with them, I’m right to the heart of the blessing, of the reversal.

And although this psalm is mostly talking about reversals for individuals, there can also be reversals for larger groups of people, for example, where suddenly everyone is healed. And these reversals can come about thru the prayers of a single intercessor calling upon the power of the Holy Spirit to extend widely and intervene widely.

There can be reversals in attitude, knowledge, health, from lack of basic resources to those needs being met, from isolation, and so on for individuals but also for groups, cities, towns, nations.

This psalm is saying that there is no one like the Lord and that these reversals are only found under the guiding light of his presence. There is no reason to do your shopping elsewhere. The completeness can only be found in freedom by heeding the winds of the Spirit.

How does all this relate to prayer here and now? This psalm mentions that the Lord lifts, he raises, he gives, he makes. You can meditate on what this means in that, if the Lord lifts, heals, gives, and then where am I after this happens? With the Lord’s healing for example, I’m free of pain and have full mobility for my sprained ankle. I can think about the alternatives but also meditate that with the Lords healing, I’m here, with the Lords blessing, and I’m there.

There is a very meditative aspect to this psalm. What do I have with the Lord? What is apparent with the Lord's way as opposed to any other approach? With the Lord's answer as opposed to any other answer? What is present with the Lord's sanctioning as opposed to any other sanctioning? With the Lord’s financial blessings, I have abundant and sustained finances from righteous ways, with the Lord’s social blessings, I have gracious and long standing friends, and here in this psalm these friends happen to be princes. With the Lord's help, I'm past certain problems that I would have never gotten fully past with all the other types of help out there. With the Lord’s healing, blessing, there is a reversal of a certain type that I’m just not going to get elsewhere. And this psalm does speak of completeness to this, where as alternatives without seeking the Lord might only get me partial results.

So you might say to the Lord, I’m trying to get out of this, but with your help if it arises in my life, indeed I am out of this. And then it goes right back to the first verse of this psalm, “Praise the Lord".

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Joseph Jagde - About the Author: