Psalm 18 - Part 2

"For who is our Creator, but 

the source of Love.

And who is Life, except the 

Divine Presence. 

You, who gird me with strength, 

and lead me in the way of Truth. 

You make my feet like hinds' feet, 

and set me secure on the heights.

You teach me the way of justice, 

that I might speak out against oppression. 

You give me a hunger for silence, 

that I might know the power of prayer, 

and You support me in solitude.

You give me freedom to choose the 

journey road; I elect the narrow way.

For I pursued my fears and faced them; 

and did not run back until I was free.

I saw each one through, so that they 

were not able to rise; 

they were transformed by love.

For You enabled me with strength 

to look deep within;

holding me when fears threatened 

to overwhelm me.   

  

For this I will extol You, O my Beloved, 

among the nations, 

and sing praises to your Name. 

Peace, gratitude, love, and assurance are 

gifts bestowed by Love. 

May all peoples live in your Truth 

in the land peace of forever. 

Amen."  

Psalm 18 continued 

Psalms for Praying, Nan C. Merrill  

Earlier this week someone asked me, "What are the Psalms? Are they entertainment?" If one never needed to believe when belief seems impossible, or never needed to look at life and oneself with honest gut-wrenching assessment, or never experienced an inexplicable joy that must overflow the narrow banks of the heart, the Psalms could perhaps be considered quaint remnants of an ancient time. Yet, for many, the Psalms are much more, and have been for centuries.  Brother Victor in Blessings of the Daily, writes: "In reading the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, we learn of the importance attached by them to psalmody. In an arid and empty desert, the Psalms were their daily bread. They would not have survived the desolation of the desert without this daily nourishment."  

The Psalms help move our hearts from the rocky, rugged, and often lonely land of struggle into a place of peace. Daily bread. Essential and divine.     

Psalm 18 - Part 1

Psalm 18, a "Royal Thanksgiving for Victory," is a long celebration of God's might bringing military victory to the king.  It is tempting to dismiss, but we all have someone or something that we struggle against, sometimes mightily. We know evil is in our world and we are reminded daily of the destruction being left in its wake. I return to Nan C. Merrill. I have taken liberties with her rendition, but I believe she would understand. 

"I call upon You, Heart of my heart, 

singing praises to your Name, 

and fear no longer holds me. 

The demons of darkness assailed me, 

the blindness of ignorance led me astray; 

The shadows of fear paralyzed me, 

the anguish of loneliness confronted me. 

In my distress I called out to You, 

O Gracious One; 

to You I cried for help. 

You heard my voice, O Loving Presence, 

You harkened to my cry.   

Then did You, O Divine Presence,  

show unto me a vision; 

the earth reeled and rocked; 

the foundations of the mountains trembled

and quaked, as if to slough off 

the ravages of destruction 

perpetrated by greedy hands. 

On the wings of the wind, You did come, 

with a darkness a covering 

around You, 

a canopy of thick clouds 

dark with water. 

Out of the brightness before You

there broke through the clouds

 hailstones, coals of fire 

lept from the mountaintops. 

As your voice uttered in the heavens, 

thunder and lightning stormed the earth; 

like arrows from a bow, 

the people scattered.  

Yet, there was no safe haven, 

no hiding place from fear. 

Then the channels of the sea were seen, 

and the foundations of the world laid bare.

The earth gave a mighty shudder 

then settled down to heal in the Silence. 

O Holy One, You see the intentions of my heart; 

As I surrender to your love, 

I grow in peace and gratitude. 

For to lose my life is to find Life;  

O keep me steadfast in love."
  

Psalm 18, Psalms for Praying, Nan C. Merrill  

   

More tomorrow.  I need at least two days for this Psalm.  

Psalm 17

The psalmist may be able to declare his heart pure (17:3), but I am not there yet. However, there are the vulnerable among us who very much are, and they are suffering.  For them, and for us, I lift this psalm. The sword God hands us is a caring one. May we learn to use it.     

 

"Guard me as the apple of the eye; 

hide me in the shadow of your wings, 

from the wicked who despoil me, 

my deadly enemies who surround me... 

 

Rise up, O LORD, confront them, overthrow them!

By your sword deliver my life from the wicked, 

from mortals - by your hand, O LORD - 

from mortals whose portion in life is in this world. 

May their bellies be filled with what 

you have stored up for them; 

may their children have more than enough; 

may they leave something over to their little ones. 

 

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness, 

when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness."  

 

Psalm 17:8-9, 13-15 NRSV   

  

Psalm 16

Over the course of a year or so, maybe even two, I have visited once a month with a retired doctor. She was born in India, and she and her family (her father was a doctor) lived in several countries. When she and her husband, also a medical doctor, married, they added at least one other country before finally settling in the bay area. She is intelligent and reserved, and I am very fond of her. She is Hindu, and often asks me, "Now, what exactly is it that you do?" The question always make me laugh; I do not think I have ever done anything exactly, but I try to explain it as best that I can. 

During our time together I have witnessed her mental and physical health decline steadily, and recently she was moved from assisted living to the memory care floor. Now when I go to see her, a staff member must key in a code that allows the elevator to stop on the floor where she lives. The same is true when I leave the floor.  I find I like these moments we pause and wait for the elevator. I get  the sense that often the receptionist or care giver benefit from a moment to simply pause, and experience someone asking how they are doing. Sometimes ministry does not need much time. What it lacks in exactitude, can be made up for with a little deftness.  

The doctor has walked with a walker for as long as I have known her, and she still does. However, in these last two months, she appears stronger; her color is more robust and her eyes are brighter. Her short-term memory continues to decline, but she still remembers me and seems to enjoy having some company. Over all, she just seems happier.  

  

When I saw her last week, we walked down the hall together to a sunny spot with some comfortable chairs.  I asked her if liked living on her new floor. Her response was positive, and she added: "I think the people here are very good people and they live honestly." I believe I know what she meant. There is little pretense on these floors, and often affection and humor can be found.  

When the time came for me to leave, I offered to walk with her back down the hall. She declined saying, "No, I think I will just sit here in the sun."  I got on the elevator knowing that I was not leaving her behind a locked door, but sitting comfortably in the light.      

   

Protect me, O God, 

for in you I take refuge. 

I say to God, "You are my God, 

I have no good apart from you. 

As for the holy ones in the land, 

they are the noble, 

in whom is all my delight. 

The boundary lines have fallen for me

in pleasant places; 

I have a goodly heritage.  

   

Psalm 16: 1-3,6 

New Century Psalter    

Psalm 15

"O God, who may abide in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, 

and do what is right, 

who speak the truth from their heart, 

and do not slander with their tongue, 

and do no evil to their friends, 

nor take up a reproach against their neighbors. 

   

In whose eyes the wicked are despised, 

but who honor those who fear God; 

who stand by their oath 

even to their hurt; 

who do not lend money at interest, 

and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things 

shall never be moved." 

Psalm 15, New Century Psalter    

  

"The very nature of the psalms, as simple, blunt, and direct as they are, calls for them to be sung in the everyday language of the people. Nothing is more remote from them than an obscure language that makes them distant and unapproachable. Sung mechanically, they are no longer the psalms of the Bible as Jesus knew them...What really matters is that the psalms be sung humbly, prayerfully, slowly, and fervently. Only then can we begin to savor their richness, absorb their wisdom, and capture something of the pure joy of praising God."   

  

Brother Victor, Blessings of the Daily    

   

It is the rare service that I do not begin without at least part of a psalm. I do this because I love them, and because I love the sense of connection to voices and souls that have long come before us. Brother Victor reminds me that Jesus prayed the psalms, pondered these questions, and maybe even wrestled with some of the answers.  This shifts us from praying to Jesus to praying with Jesus. The same is true in meditation. Here, we begin to mature into Christ, and we find home. It may be on a holy hill, but it is also a humble one.   

  

Blessings on your journey. 

   

Psalm 14

Chapter 31 of the Rule of St. Benedict concerns the role of the cellarer, the one who handles the supplies of the monastery and who distributes them according to need.  St. Benedict writes, "As cellarer of the monastery, there should be chosen from the community someone who is wise, mature in conduct, temperate... not proud, excitable, offensive, dilatory, or wasteful, but God-fearing, and like a parent to the whole community." That community included guests, the ill, and the poor. Recognizing that not every request made of the cellarer could be fulfilled, the cellarer "should not annoy the members," but respond with respect and humility, for the cellarer would held accountable, not only to the community, but to God.    

Governments, and the rest of us, would do well to consider this role.   

"Have they no knowledge, 

all the ignorant, 

who devour people and nations 

as if they were bread, 

and never call upon Love?"  

Psalm 14 

Psalms for Praying, Nan C. Merrill   

Psalm 13

"How long will this pain go on, Lord, 

this grief I can hardly bear?

How long will anguish grip me

and agony wring my mind?

Light up my eyes with your presence; 

let me feel your love in my bones. 

Keep me from losing myself

in ignorance and despair. 

Teach me to be patient, Lord; 

teach me to be endlessly patient. 

Let me trust that your love enfolds me 

when my heart feels desolate and dry. 

I will sing to the Lord at all times, 

even from the depths of pain.

 

Psalm 13

A Book of Psalms, Stephen Mitchell 

  

"If we come to the Psalms looking for a way to develop our inner life, we have come to the wrong place. Kahil Gibran is a better bet. If we come to the Psalms in search of peak experiences, we have made a wrong choice. The psalmists are not interested in human potential; they are passionate about God - the obedience shaping, will-transforming, sin-revoking, praise-releasing God." 

Answering God, Eugene Peterson