Dear Faith Family,
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)
Our summer psalms have been helping us connect various aspects of our day-to-day pilgrimage through life to the promises and actions of God on our behalf. Between the Day of rest, these "songs of transition," seasonally prayed and contemplated, ground the comings and goings, ups and downs of our daily living in the once and persevering joyous work of God for life--ours and our fellow pilgrims.
While intimately personal, the psalms' existence is inherently communal, compelling us to pray not just for ourselves, but with and for others who, like us, can only make a life in and through the grace of God. This other orientation, coupled with the tragic events in South Texas over the last week, cannot help but raise tension in our prayer and contemplation. How can I consider the merciful providence of God in my life, turn my praise to Him in joyous testimony of His goodness towards me, and give myself to His goodness for the sake of another, and not hear the cries of those who've lost so much echo in the ears of my mind and heart? How can I pray what feels impossible for people experiencing such devastation to pray?
Praying the particular Psalms of Ascent with their seemingly certain triumph of goodness has not been an easy task these last few days, at least for me. Yet, the wonder of praying the entire psalter repeatedly is that we are trained on what to pray when we feel that the weight of the current moment conflicts with the words of our scheduled practice.
Because the LORD is near the brokenhearted (Ps. 34:18), we pray for our fellow humans and pilgrims that through their grief they will know both the nearness of the One who grieves with them, and believe for those who cannot, praying:
"You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth." (Ps. 71:20).
May we be joined together in our prayers, especially this week, remembering the words of the One who raises life from death,
"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I among them." (Matthew 18:19-20).
Love you, faith family. God bless.