Dear Friends,
Today I am thinking of the psalm for Sunday, 34:1-8. And one verse in particular has captured my imagination-- verse 4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me out of all my terror.”
There are so many ways in which God has delivered me from terror when I lacked courage. The irony of this seemingly simple recipe for deliverance from fear is that when we are in a state of terror and anxiety, it can seem that there is no help to be found, so we might talk ourselves out of asking. In my life, I have often had a difficult time asking for help from others because I am not confident I will receive it. I still struggle with that. That was true for many years in my relationship with God: I did not ask because I had already decided that I would not receive. Somehow I hadn't noticed that the Holy Spirit already had my back and was helping me get through whatever it was that had gripped me with fear. I had not been brave enough to intentionally seek help from God, but somehow I still received it. In retrospect, it is staggering how God has led me through my life, and I feel such gratitude for that.
Prayer is mysterious. Whether or not I have had confidence that God can and will deliver me out of terror, I have come to realize that the act of seeking God is part of that deliverance. In the simplest of prayers-- Help!-- I feel the shift. My heartrate slows, my thoughts become clearer, and my spirit becomes calm. I can't even articulate what has happened; I only know that it has.
There is a Unitarian Universalist minister named Christine Robinson sho has a wonderful blog called Psalms for a New World. You can find it here: https://doubterpsalms.blogspot.com. Robinson articulates her own interpretation of the psalms, never arguing that she is translating them, but rather interpreting them for the context of her own life. That is difficult to do because these sacred songs were composed within the framework of a different cultural context. Here is her reflection on Psalm 34:
How exactly do I do this?
By opening my heart in gratitude and praise
for all the gifts of life.
By focusing on the astounding intricacy of the world.
By attending to the still small voices of healing and renewal
which save me in times of trouble.
And by loving life and honoring that gift,
speaking truth, doing good, seeking peace.
When I serve the highest I know
I serve whatever God there is.
The joy of this, no matter what my troubles, will keep me whole.
How does Robinson seek God? “By opening [her] heart in gratitude and praise.” It works for Robinson, it worked for Job, and it works for me. Maybe it will work for you as well.
In peace and love,
Pan +