Blest are you, O God,
for you have heard the voice of my prayer.
You are my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in you, and I have been helped;
Therefore my heart dances for joy,
and in my song will I praise you.
You are the strength of your people,
a safe refuge for your anointed.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Psalm 28:6-9 (The Saint Helena Psalter)
Rich imagery and truths are provided in this psalm for our Lenten journey.
The psalm itself is a prayer and speaks of the gifts that God lavishes upon us. Yet, it is often easy to forget, to be almost unaware, that we are embraced in God's abiding abundance of love at all times.
I have a practice each Lent of making a specific intention. This year my intention is to awaken more deeply, more consciously, to the abiding loving presence of God. Particular words from this psalm - such as strength, shield, trusts, heart dances, praise, refuge, anointed, shepherd - seem to shimmer, to draw me in. So using some of them, I wrote a psalm of intention. My prayer is that it will help inspire and deepen my specific intention to a new awakening of God's loving abiding presence in my life.
You hear me, God, and are my strength for whatever this day brings.
You are my protection and my heart trusts you, God, trusts your presence.
You provide me - your anointed - with my place of refuge,
and my heart dances and sings praise to you.
My heart blesses you, God, and rests in your shepherding hand
no matter the way, no matter the trials, no matter the joys.
You are my safe refuge.
I am safe in you.
Are there words from this psalm or from another that speak to your heart, that might during this season of Lent, help you know more deeply the abiding abundance of God's love?
May our Lenten journey be inspired and awakened in the presence of our loving God.
Sally LaFaver
for you have heard the voice of my prayer.
You are my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in you, and I have been helped;
Therefore my heart dances for joy,
and in my song will I praise you.
You are the strength of your people,
a safe refuge for your anointed.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Psalm 28:6-9 (The Saint Helena Psalter)
Rich imagery and truths are provided in this psalm for our Lenten journey.
The psalm itself is a prayer and speaks of the gifts that God lavishes upon us. Yet, it is often easy to forget, to be almost unaware, that we are embraced in God's abiding abundance of love at all times.
I have a practice each Lent of making a specific intention. This year my intention is to awaken more deeply, more consciously, to the abiding loving presence of God. Particular words from this psalm - such as strength, shield, trusts, heart dances, praise, refuge, anointed, shepherd - seem to shimmer, to draw me in. So using some of them, I wrote a psalm of intention. My prayer is that it will help inspire and deepen my specific intention to a new awakening of God's loving abiding presence in my life.
You hear me, God, and are my strength for whatever this day brings.
You are my protection and my heart trusts you, God, trusts your presence.
You provide me - your anointed - with my place of refuge,
and my heart dances and sings praise to you.
My heart blesses you, God, and rests in your shepherding hand
no matter the way, no matter the trials, no matter the joys.
You are my safe refuge.
I am safe in you.
Are there words from this psalm or from another that speak to your heart, that might during this season of Lent, help you know more deeply the abiding abundance of God's love?
May our Lenten journey be inspired and awakened in the presence of our loving God.
Sally LaFaver