Psalms for Black Lives: Reflections for the Work of Liberation

by Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes

Overview

In the summer of 2020, while composing a series of devotionals on the Psalms for their church, the Double Love Experience, authors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes recognized that these ancient words spoke truth and inspiration not only to their immediate community, but also to the growing number of people doing the holy, demanding work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives.

The Psalms speak power today as they always have. They have spoken across generations. They have bridged cultural divides and social contexts with their emotional rawness, urge towards justice, and blunt candor about the coarse edges of walking with God.

Psalms for Black Lives includes thirty devotions, each containing a psalm, a reflection, and an invitation for the reader to develop a justice imagination through further engagement with the text. Psalms for Black Lives also includes daily discussion questions to support small-group study and a guide for congregational and community groups who want to embody the words of the Psalms together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780835820073
Publisher:	The Upper Room
Publication date:	08/01/2022
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	4.96(w) x 7.87(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes and Rev. Dr. Andrew Wilkes are the co-founding, co-lead pastors of The Double Love Experience Church in Brooklyn, New York. Rev. Gabby is a public theologian, strategist & innovation coach with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of faith, culture, leadership & strategy. Rev. Andrew is a political scientist and the author of Freedom Notes: Reflections on Faith, Justice, and the Possibility of Democracy. With over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of public policy and faith, he is the former Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute, a social change organization founded by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Between them, their work has been featured in Forbes, Faith & Leadership Magazine, The Washington Post, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and more. Rev. Gabby is a graduate of Hampton University, New York University and Yale Divinity School. Rev. Andrew is a graduate of Hampton University & Princeton Theological Seminary. The couple has been featured together in outlets such as The New York Times & Essence Magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword 9

Part I Introduction 13

Part II Psalms for Black Lives 19

Day 1 Defiant Confidence (Psalm 27) 19

Day 2 Who Are the Wicked? (Psalm 1:1-6) 23

Day 3 Safe (Psalm 91) 27

Day 4 Rejoice (Psalm 34) 31

Day 5 Don't Forget! (Psalm 103) 35

Day 6 Lament (Psalm 130) 39

Day 7 Use What You Have (Psalm 150) 42

Day 8 You're in Charge (Psalm 8) 45

Day 9 The Lord Does That (Psalm 146) 48

Day 10 Teach Us to Count Our Days (Psalm 90) 52

Day 11 Pray for Our Leaders (Psalm 72) 56

Day 12 Steadfast (Psalm 118) 61

Day 13 When God Feels Far Away (Psalm 22) 66

Day 14 Down Through the Years (Psalm 71) 71

Day 15 They're Ganging up on Me (Psalm 3) 76

Day 16 When Your Soul Is Discouraged (Psalm 42) 81

Day 17 In Need of Mercy (Psalm 51) 84

Day 18 I Will Worship You (Psalm 95) 88

Day 19 Delight in the Lord (Psalm 19) 92

Day 20 Let God Build It! (Psalm 127) 96

Day 21 Praying through Depression (Psalm 116) 99

Day 22 Deliver Us from Our Enemies (Psalm 83) 104

Day 23 Lord, You Know Me (Psalm 139) 109

Day 24 The Lord, Our Protector (Psalm 16) 114

Day 25 The God Our Ancestors Told Us About (Psalm 44) 118

Day 26 You Deserve to Be Happy (Psalm 84) 123

Day 27 What If? (Psalm 124) 127

Day 28 God Cares (Psalm 23) 131

Day 29 A Prayer When Your Eyes Are Full of Tears (Psalm 88) 134

Day 30 I Am Confident! (Psalm 108) 139

Part III Practicing Psalms for Black Lives: a Community and Congregational Study Guide

Week 1 Direct Service and Psalms for Black Lives 143

Week 2 Community Development and Psalms for Black Lives 147

Week 3 Direct Action, Advocacy, and Psalms for Black Lives 150

Week 4 Regional Planning and Psalms for Black Lives 153

Acknowledgments 157