I Know Love’s Presence

– before this Lectio Divina blog – a couple disclaimers. I may have mentioned in another blog, (I can’t remember everything I’ve written (disclaimer 1) that there are many psalms I have trouble relating to. I’m aware of how painful it is for many Christians when the Bible isn’t taken literally and I find that my experience of the LORD is often different than the psalmist’s. I can’t ask Love to do the things he wants … Psalm 55 is one of them. It’s good for me to remember that the Psalms are poetry and understand them that way. They continue to be an important part of Hebrew and Christian worship. They are like hymns … many have expressions about God I resonate with and some I don’t … in the same hymn. I sometimes think our theology is shaped as much by what we hear each other sing as by what we hear from our teachers and preachers. Throw in how our parents impact our understanding of God and no wonder things get interesting … but I’m starting to preach; so back to what my heart heard in Psalm 55 this morning.

I’ve found Nan C. Merrill’s, Psalms For Reading: An Invitation to Wholeness helpful. I feel a bit guilty with the contrast between her and the original…but that’s what a paraphrase does. She helps me ‘listen to the Voice of Silence that speaks within” my own soul. In her Preface she assures folk that she is “in no way meant to replace the well-loved, still meaningful, and historically important Psalms of the Hebrew Scripture.” Rather she created “a companion, a dialogue, if you will, of one age speaking with a later age.” When I figure it out how to link a pdf to this blog, I’ll include a link to her version of Psalm 55. I’d be interested in what your heart heard as you read it. Here’s a nice Celtic musical version – https://tinyurl.com/3kpkz42k Now to the Lectio Divina, I prayed this morning.

Psalm 55

Lectio – words that stood out for me at first reading – too much noise and clamour of the enemy … so I went to Nan C. Merrill’s version (see above) and heard…

– I offered up my fears to the Beloved, and Love, heard my cry; I sought the one who ever listens; once again, I knew Love’s presence.

Meditatio – personal application – fears desensitizes one to Love’s presence – along with other things, substances…strong emotion, ideas, pain, etc. It happens and Love is always there…we live and move and have our being, in Love – like the air we breathe or water which fish breathe, sort of. Also I changed Merrill’s paraphrase because I like the present tense of “knowing” the Love…

Oratorio – prayer — Thank you Love for your presence in my life…that pretty constant sense of being in love with you. It brings so much comfort and peace. When I feel loved it’s so easy to love others. I know you forgive me when I get distracted. Please help me to stay aware of our love. Thanks.

– then I heard … no prob

Contemplatio — took this and my life into Centering Prayer