Writing Our Own Psalms to God

The Psalms were the ancient hymnbook of Israel preserved by the community of faith, used in worship and praise of God, a reminder of who God is, was and ever shall be.  I wonder what it would be like to write our own psalms to God.  Might we encourage one another to take this up as a spiritual discipline? I mean, people write hymns and praise music, right?  It's not much different really except that we don't often meditate on the words of hymns.  However, the words do get stuck in our heads and we find ourselves singing them in the shower, as we are jogging or walking or even grocery shopping!  That's one thing I love about memorizing hymnody and scripture- once you've spent significant time with it, turning it over and over in your mind, practicing the melody, paying attention to the harmony. . . it becomes a part of you forever.  No one can ever take it away from you once it becomes yours and you have it readily accessible when you need it, even if you don't have your hymn book or bible handy.  It might be a wonderful exercise in expressing our faith if we would let our pens fly freely over the paper, sharing with God our love for him.

I want to share with you something else I wrote while I was away at the Abbey of the Genesee last week.  It's a psalm I wrote in response to God "taking me to the mat," pinning me down and making me face my own darkness.  He brought me out, which was a bit of a surprise actually. . . but the best thing was he accompanied me through the birth canal I spoke of in yesterday's post (a place of utter darkness, a place where death is indeed a real possibility, but a place that forces one into light and life even though it's a painful process.)  So, here goes, it's simple, but sometimes simple is good I suppose. At least I hope it is because I'm just a simple person after all.

East Branch of the Huron River, Norwalk, Ohio

*O God, your mercies are never ending.


You see me when I am in hiding.  You see me when no one else around me even notices that I am there. You see me when I am invisible, camouflaged, fading into the background.  
Nothing escapes your notice.  Nothing eludes your perceptive gaze.


*O God, your mercies are never ending.


You attend to me, O God, in the darkest valleys.  You lead me to the river of life.  You quench my thirst for what satisfies.  You fill me to overflowing when emptiness is what I have known.


*O God, your mercies are never ending.


You, O God, show me the glories of your creative hand.  You illumine the navy sky with diamonds so I may have light.  You provide the path that leads me straight to your tender heart. You receive me there with open arms and envelope me in your love.


*O God, your mercies are never ending.  Amen.


Give it a try!  See what happens.  Have a blessed day!