Psalm 71

The Grand Canyon

O Lord ... You are my Rock and my Fortress!

This summer I am paraphrasing the lectionary Psalms as a prayer practice and then I'm reading the selection prayerfully (lectio divina) with my own paraphrase.  Finally, I'm developing a breath prayer to take the transformed psalm with me into my week.  You are invited to join me and paraphrase the summer psalms for yourself.   As we work with the psalms and rewrite the text in our own words/using our own vocabulary, we will find deeper meaning as the week unfolds.  The psalms are prayers of dearly faithful people.  We can pray them into a personal prayer language that lives and breathes our own faith. 

Paraphrasing the Psalm ... 

Step 1:  Read the Psalm selection (Psalm 71:1-6) from a translated version.  This week we read from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).  In the lectionary cycle the psalm reading is an accompaniment to the Old Testament Reading.  This week the church reads the call of Jeremiah 1:4-10.  In it Jeremiah protests the call telling God, "I am only a boy."  You may want to consider this passage before moving into the psalm ... You can read about Jeremiah in my bible study entry: God Speaks! "Jeremiah, Go to all to whom I send you!".  Take Link or choose Psalm 71:1-6 from the cloud in the column at the right.  Imagine young Jeremiah praying this psalm as he prepares himself to answer God's call to be a prophet, one who speaks for God to the people?  Can you imagine yourself praying this psalm as you prepare to answer God's call upon your life?

Psalm 71:1-6
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me
and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God,
from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust,
O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

Step 2:  Explore the images you find in the psalm and seek new ways of proclaiming the message in words and phrases that translate to the situation you find in your life today.  Be creative and think not in words but in ideas and let your psalm express your own deepest emotions.

Step 3:  Take up a journal OR pull up a blank document on the computer ... begin writing in a stream of consciousness with new images, words, and phrases that emerge from pondering on the text.  Let the images grow and become.  Let new words and phrases come alive to translate the psalm anew in your own prayer language ... sing a new song in your soul!

Step 4:  Paraphrase the Psalm with your own images in your own words and phrases ...
here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Cindy's paraphrase of Psalm 71:1-6

In your presence, Shechinah, I find rest for my soul
I know you will not let me feel unworthy of being me
Because we are in a relationship, 

be always with me to catch me when I fall
Reach out your hand to me, 

to listen to my troubles and 

to protect me from myself.
Be my strength and my wall of protection, 

for you are powerful and mighty
Reach out your hand to me, my Shechinah 

so that others may do me no harm,

 those who use their power to create injustice without mercy
O Shechinah!  

Only in you do I put my hope and my trust
For you have always been with me, 

forever pursuing me even when I fled from you.  

You were there at my birth 

but you were also the midwife 

of the transformation of my soul. 
I love you!  

I adore you! 

I praise you!  

I worship you!

Lectio Divina ...
Step 1:  Read Psalm Psalm 71:1-6 slowly and reverently ...
Use the NLT text, my paraphrase or your own, or us this paraphrase from Rejoice, Beloved Woman! The Psalms Revisited ... "If a woman wrote the psalms, this is what they would sound like." (from the back cover) 

 In you, Shaddai, have I found shelter, 

you save me from shame.  

In your justice, you hear me and come to my rescue.  

You are my rock, my fortress, a mountain of strength for me.  

You ordain me and deliver me from the vile. 

You alone are my hope.  

Since my birth, I have depended on you.   

You pulled me from my mother's womb 

and nourished me at her breast.  

You, Shaddai, I praise with all my existence.  

Although I have become a target for many, 

you have wrapped me with protection.  

My heart belongs to you and 

I sing of your splendor.  

Do not leave me now that I am growing old.  

Do not toss me aside as my strength fails.

What image, word, or phrase calls for your attention in your reading?  Spend a few moments pondering the God you find within your reading ...

Step 2:  Read your selection again and reflect ...
How does this paraphrase illuminate your life right now?  How is God inviting you to change or grow?

Step 3:  Read your selection again and respond ...
What do you say to God about your life and how you are being invited?   Write a one-sentence prayer as an Amen to your time of lectio ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

O Shechinah!  Listen to my troubles and be with me always.  Amen!

Step 4:  Rest ... Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.

Breath Prayer ...
Step 1:  In 3-4 syllables, what image of God is emerging from your time of prayer?

Step 2:  In 3-4 syllables, what prayer of desire is rising within you?

Step 3:  Create your breath prayer ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Breathing in …O Shechinah ... (pause)
Breathing out … Listen to me ... (pause)

As you continue to journey through your week, breathe!  If music is a pathway to God for you ... sit back, close your eyes or watch the nature visuals, and listen to this prayer called Bar'chu Shechinah.  Bar'chu is the traditonal Jewish call to prayer. This version calls on the Shechinah, the Divine in-dwelling Presence of God.  There are many who consider Shechinah to be the feminine aspect of the Trinity ... See my Blog Entry entitled Trinity: A Reflection on Holy Wisdom, the Feminine Face of God for more information.

Breathing ...  O Shechinah, listen to me and be present to me always, wrapping me in your presence as a warm embrace.  Amen.

God Speaks! "Jeremiah, Go to all to whom I send you!"

Have you ever heard God speak?   

If you have heard God “speak,” what was that like?  Was it inside of yourself, like a whisper in the soul … or did it seem to come from outside of yourself, from on high … or did God’s message come from the lips of another person?   Perhaps the circumstances of your life made you feel like God was communicating loud and clear!  Or … maybe a dream or vision seemed so important that it must have come from God.   OR … you may have had any number of other kinds of experiences that you know came from God.  It really isn’t as unusual as you think it would be … hearing from God.  Many, many people have stories tucked away in their soul that would begin, “If I tell you this, you will think I am crazy …” and so they keep their stories hidden.

If you have never heard God “speak,” how do you feel about that?   What if … you enlarged your idea of what it means to “hear” God?  Think about it.

This week we hear from Jeremiah about the first time God spoke to him.  "Jeremiah, Go to all to whom I send you!"  Yeah, young Jeremiah wasn’t too keen on his “assignment.”  He tries to talk God out of calling him.  Have you ever tried to do that?  Oh NO, not me!  I couldn’t do THAT!  People don’t want to hear that.  They might not listen to me, accept me, help me … love me!  They might really bump up against my attachment to affection and affirmation!

As we prepare our hearts to listen to Jeremiah’s call story, remember your own sense of call.  And yes, we have all been called even if we do not realize or acknowledge it … we are all called to be human, to be … to be … to simply BE ...

Take a moment to sit with your BEing and breathe … this gentle breath prayer for discernment, which means to listen to the inner movements of God within you in order to know how you are being called:   

Breathe in … Spirit of Truth (pause)   
Breath out … Help me know myself (pause)  

When you are ready to move into the text, use Psalm 71:1-6 as a prayer:
In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me,
        for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
        from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
        my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
        it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.  Amen.

Now, read Jeremiah’s call story in Jeremiah 1:4-10 with the "ear of your heart" using Lectio Divina, during which you will breathe and listen deeply to Jeremiah’s struggle to accept his calling as you read the text slowly, letting it touch you in your own will and spirit.

Reading 1.    Read the text slowly. Focus your attention on the sense of the passage as you hear it.   Perhaps there is a word or phrase full of meaning for you today.  Take a deep breath and move on when you are ready ... 

Movement 1 (Read) and repeat your word or phrase several times.  Let the word or phrase that has chosen you sink into your soul.   What word or phrase is most full of meaning for you where you are in your life right now?

Now the word of the LORD came to [Jeremiah] saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."   Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." 

Called to Panama - To BUILD ... a building and relationships!

  
 Reading 2.    Read the text slowly again ... As you read, listen for the still small voice of the text whispering to you, “Here I am, where are you?”  Where is God calling your attention?  Sit with the “word” God has for you … it can be from the text itself OR it can be a different word or phrase that has arisen from the text.  Take a deep breath and move on when you are ready ...

Movement 2 (Reflect) How is God “calling” you through this passage?  How has God touched your mouth and given you a message to share with others?    What do you need today?

Reading 3.    Read the text slowly again.  Respond to God with prayers of surrender and commitment ... sing praises, whisper confessions, laugh gratitude, breathe in discernment, breathe out commitment ... whatever emerges from within you as you pray.   Take a deep breath and move on when you are ready …

Movement 3 (Respond) Listen!  Have you heard a deeper calling?  Have you heard God calling your name?  How do you offer your prayers and your life to God today in response?
 
Reading 4.    Rest in the gentle silence of God's presence.  Breathe in the light of God.  As you move on, breathe out the love of God upon the world!

Movement 4 (Rest) Breathe … Breathe … Breathe … Amen
To end this time with scripture, use Psalm 25:4-5 as a prayer:
Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long. 

If Music and/or Images are a pathway to God for you, listen and view this youtube video set to the music of John Michael Talbot.  The Artwork is amazing.  The song is Be Not Afraid ... Don't we all need to hear that when we know we have been called by God to go where we have not been before.  

After listening ... Take a look at John Michael Talbot's bio on his website which begins

It all began with a vision.

“God gave me a vision of itinerant ministry going from parish to parish in a time of great need in our culture. I believe that our current ministry is fulfilling that vision. The Catholic Church has nearly died in recent years, but God is raising us to new life in Christ if we will but accept it. We are rebuilding the church one  parish at a time, and renewing hearts one life at a time!”

His story is certainly one that resonates with Jeremiah's!