Praying The Psalms Until We Embody Them

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry, He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.” - Psalm 40:1-4

The real-life title of this reflection should have been “Fake It Until You Make It.” I love the book of Psalms, and the longer I’m on this journey of faith, the more I appreciate them. They cover the full gamut of human emotions. I promise you, there is nothing in the human condition that is not expressed in this book of the Bible. When I remember that the Psalms were most often sung, it expresses those emotions more clearly to me. There is no raging pop music that tops these texts, which somehow only amplifies the intimate relationship we are called into with our God.

At times, these texts make us uncomfortable. Are we always willing to admit we want to see our enemies suffer? These texts are also highly aspirational at times. This week’s appointed Psalm—Psalm 40—is one of those for me. I can’t say I always wait patiently for the Lord. In fact, I rarely have the patience required in these current times—especially when I look at the daily headlines. And yet, when I look back over my life, I do believe and can see that my cries have been heard. My life is better when I trust God and do not fall into the easy trap of idolatry.

Idolatry is not merely worshiping golden calves or statues that purport to be God. They would be far easier to identify if that were our only temptation. Instead, idolatry is a natural human tendency that is around every corner of our lives. We place our trust in institutions, traditions, people, money, exercise, deeply held beliefs, control, certainty… Need I go on? It is normal to do this, and sometimes these strategies even work. They may be an important complement to our faith. But the ultimate claim, as people of faith, is that we must be willing to relinquish those strategies when they are not working. The deepest transformations I’ve had are moments when things have painfully fallen away from me. Trust me when I say I wish it weren’t so.

And yet the cross is the ultimate letting go that Jesus models. In the face of the power of the Roman Empire, he models a self-giving love that trusts in God in a way that seems beyond our grasp. And Jesus would have known the Psalms and prayed them himself. He quotes them on the cross, and at least in some of the gospel accounts.

So maybe a good starting place is praying for patience and trusting that all we carry is being seen, heard, and experienced by the God of love. Trust in that relationship comes over time. Beginning by letting go of falsity and idols (however tempting they are) and trusting in God is the solid ground we all need.

Peace, Beth +