Knitting our Hearts to God

Psalm 86:1-11

Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and in misery.
Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; save your servant who puts his trust in you.

Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; I call upon you all the day long.
Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplications.

In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, nor anything like your works.

All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, and glorify your Name.
For you are great; you do wondrous things; and you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name. The 11th verse of Psalm 86 is a wonderful way to frame our Lenten journey. In the book of Psalms, the “heart” does not refer to a physical organ but rather the “self” or “spirit” or “soul.” It is the essence of one’s very being.

As noted in The New Interpreter’s Bible, “…God aspires to teach the heart what it needs…Wholeness comes as God instructs the heart to know, reorienting understanding as needed…” (page 830)

In Psalm 86, the psalmist knows that God can bring healing and comfort, and this year, our desire to be taught, healed and comforted by God seems even more urgent. As we journey through uncharted waters and challenging times, I find my own prayers mirroring those of the psalmist. I, too, am yearning to be open to God’s teaching, walking in God’s truth, and knitting my heart to the source of all life.

Robert Alter’s translation of the Psalms with commentary is a beautiful resource for a Lenten journey, and I commend it to you as my colleague, the Rev. Spencer Brown, commended it to me. I leave you with this imagery and translation of the 4th verse of Psalm 86. Alter’s translation reads, “Gladden Your servant, for to You, O Master, I lift up my being.” Alter’s commentary reads, “for to You…I lift up my being. The idiom, which occurs elsewhere in the Psalms, means to pray, to implore, to long desperately. ‘My being,’ nafshi, also has the sense of ‘my very self,’ ‘my life breath.’” (page 303) May this Lenten journey lift up your very being to God.

Blessings and in faith, Jan+

prayer

Prayer for Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Fourth Edition, page 23)

Daily Lenten meditations each have a companion morning prayer video offered by the same clergy.  View the YouTube playlist to find this meditation’s companion video, or to watch others.