Today’s readings:
Psalms 22; 148, Deuteronomy 7:12-16, Titus 2:1-15, John 1:35-42

I am poured out like water,
          and all my bones are out of joint; 

Great God without you my life has no shape; my soul meanders. Do not let me disappear into the ground, into nothingness. Gather me up, oh God. Scoop me into your palms. When you look upon me may you see your face reflected back. Let me rest in your cupped hands, held in your peace, until you see fit to pour my spirit into a vessel of your making.  Then will I stand tall and straight, for the Lord has given me form.

     my heart is like wax; 
          it is melted within my breast; 
          and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
          you lay me in the dust of death. 

Soothe my burning heart, oh Lord. It wilts from the heat of its own anger. It grows soft and weak as the flames of slander and gossip close in. But the breath of your Spirit soothes me, and the working of your hand sculpts my resolve. If my heart is wax, press your seal into it so all may know it is my God who has restored me.

     my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

Without your living waters, words stick in my throat like bitter ash. Do not leave me to thirst, to parch like a broken, leaking pot discarded on the roadside. In the midst of life’s deserts, I pray you rain mercy on me, my loving God. May I catch your mercy on my tongue; may it wash the dust from my skin; may it pour all around me and water the seeds you would have me tend, until the deserts bloom with mercy.

I am water.
I am wax.
I am dust.

You are the vessel that contains.
You are the seal that promises.
You are the rain that refreshes.

In you my weakness are made strong,
and my strengths are multiplied.

 For he did not despise or abhor 
          the affliction of the afflicted; 
     he did not hide his face from me, 
          but heard when I cried to him. – v 24

Comfort: God will not hide his face from you.

Challenge: Slowly read through Psalm 22, paying attention to how it speaks to you.

Prayer: O LORD, do not be far away! Amen.

Discussion: The Psalms are ancient, but they speak to timeless conditions of the heart, mind, and soul. Do you find them helpful to read?

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