Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned back and confused
Who desire my hurt.

  - Psalm 70.1, 2

O God, defend me everywhere
With Your impregnable power and protection.

  - The Breastplate of Laidcenn, Irish, 8th-9th century[1]

Celtic Christians maintained an acute sense of the imminence of God, of His real and personal presence, with them, wherever they went. To remind themselves of this presence, and even to enter it really and fully, they wrote songs, and sang them frequently.

A lorica or “breastplate” poem was used to invoke divine protection and engage the presence of the Lord. These poems were prayed or sung at various times of the day, to remind the singer of the Lord’s presence and care, and so to encourage and embolden him in his journey or work. Reminded of God’s presence, and celebrating that presence in song, the singer’s path would look completely different from those who cowered or held back in the face of difficulty, challenge, or threat.

There are several excellent examples of these lorica hymns from the literature of the Celtic Christian period. The best-known is probably “Patrick’s Breastplate,” also known as “The Cry of the Hart.” It is attributed to Patrick, but not by him, since it only appears in the literature of the period around 200 years after Patrick.

These lorica hymns have affinity to certain of the psalms, combining elements of complaint, imprecation, and supplication as they call on the help of God and angels for protection throughout the day, or for some journey or task. Psalm 70 is a good example.

The principle is sound: Our Lord will never fail us nor forsake us. He is with us always, and we have our very being and all our movement in Him. Our Shepherd is always caring for us and upholding us by His Word of power (Matt. 28.20; Heb. 1.3). So it can be a source of comfort and confidence to remind ourselves in song of all the ways the Lord Jesus protects our minds, affections, and bodies, and how He guards the path and even shapes the attitudes of those we might meet along the way.

A breastplate hymn was a lyrical confession of the sovereignty of God, as well as a declaration of trust in Him and dependence on His grace. These old poems remind us of three important things: First, God is with us and caring for us always, down to the smallest detail of our lives. Nothing about us is unimportant to our Lord.

Second, it is good and useful to acknowledge that. It may not always seem as though the Lord is present and caring for us, but He always is. Singing or praying such psalms and poems can renew our trust and confidence in Him.

And, third, singing can be an important discipline to engage us with God’s love and bring us into His sovereign presence. God intends for us to benefit from singing more than we typically do, which is why we are commanded to sing and why singing is an indication of the Spirit’s filling (Eph. 5.18-21).

So don’t let your singing be confined to the time you spend in worship with God’s people. And don’t sing only those songs that have pleasing melodies or easily-remembered lyrics. Search out psalms and hymns that can be beneficial for your daily walk with and work for the Lord. Sing them over and over, until you know them by heart (The Ailbe Psalter offers all the psalms set to familiar hymn tunes).

Then sing them throughout the day, letting their melodies and lyrics lift you above your everyday setting into the presence of eternal glory. Linger there in meditation and prayer, waiting on the Lord, thanking and praising Him for all His abundant goodness to you.

In heaven, angels and departed saints sing continually to the Lord. All that prevents us from joining our voices with theirs is the will to do so.

Sing your way into the presence of the Lord, friends.

Psalm 3.3, 4 (Eventide: Abide with Me)
You are a mercy shield about me, Lord,
Raising me by Your glory and Your Word.
Prayers fraught with tears stream from me like a fount,
Yet God will answer from His holy mount.

Father, You have given us songs from Your own hand, that we might sing our way into Your presence at any moment. Give me the will to do so, Lord, and let me know Your surrounding and sustaining Presence always.

The Disciplined Life
We’re happy to send you the seven studies in our ReVision series on The Disciplined Life. Learn the disciplines to exercise you for godliness in your spiritual life, relationships, work, and more. The studies are free, and set up for individual or group study, one lesson per day for seven weeks. Just send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we’ll send the series along for you.

The Celtic Revival
If you’d like a more thorough overview of the period of the Celtic Revival, write to John Nunnikhoven at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and he’ll send you a copy of our free PDF, The Celtic Revival. And if this ministry, The Fellowship of Ailbe, is of benefit to you, and you believe in our mission, seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you support this work with your financial gifts. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.