Christian Scripture Meditation: Gratitude & Psalm 9

This therapeutic Scripture meditation and prayer includes guided breathing to introduce a gratitude practice, centered on Psalm 9:1-2. The track creates space for both the parts of us that feel grateful and those that do not, inviting these parts into God's gracious embrace. The track ends with reflection and a prayer that incorporates concepts from parts-work, to help you connect with God and the depths of your soul.

Find a cozy spot to slow down for a few minutes and enjoy!

Please note, that this and all other tracks by this author are not intended to be used in place of professional mental health services.

Transcript

Before we start our gratitude practice,

I invite you to take a few nice deep breaths,

Sitting up straight,

Lengthening your spine.

If you prefer,

You can do this standing.

In either posture,

Imagine that there is a string connected to the top of your head that is lifting your head,

Your spine up.

As you inhale and exhale,

You can imagine or invite your shoulders to roll up,

Back,

And down,

Feeling your feet on the ground,

Letting yourself get really settled and awake in this space.

As you continue those deep breaths,

I also invite you to check in to see if there are any parts of you that might not want to engage in a gratitude practice right now.

Without judgment and with curiosity,

Notice,

Is there anything inside of you that feels resistance?

Is there anything inside of you that's maybe a little grumpy about being dragged into a gratitude practice right now?

Is there any part of you that would rather lament than give thanks?

Continuing those deep breaths,

I invite you to imagine God holding those parts of you,

Embracing them right where they are,

Not trying to get those parts of you to,

You know,

Just be grateful,

Not trying to get those parts of you to be more spiritually shiny,

But simply being with those parts of you,

Offering them unconditional love,

Mercy,

And grace.

If you feel you need any more time to tend to any parts of you before we continue,

I invite you to pause the audio.

Otherwise,

I invite you to continue this imagery,

Knowing that as you step into this gratitude practice,

You don't have to force any parts of you to engage.

Any parts of you that aren't quite sure,

You can let them rest in God's embrace,

And any part of you that does want to engage in this gratitude practice is welcome to do so.

I'm going to read from Psalm 9,

Verses 1 and 2.

As I read,

Be curious to notice how these words sit with you.

Be curious to notice what happens inside as you hear them,

And I'll read these several times,

So you can let yourself notice how do these words sit with you the first time you hear them,

The second time you hear them,

The third time you hear them.

There's no right or wrong answers to this,

And as you listen,

You can let your mind be curious about what it is that you are specifically grateful for in this moment,

In this day,

In this week,

And imagine offering thanks and praise for those specific things.

This is Psalm 9,

Verses 1 and 2 from the NLT.

I will praise you,

Lord,

With all my heart.

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name,

O Most High.

I will praise you,

Lord,

With all my heart.

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name,

O Most High.

I will praise you,

Lord,

With all my heart.

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name,

O Most High.

With a big inhale and big exhale,

I will read this one more time,

Inviting any and all parts of you to join me.

I will praise you,

Lord,

With all my heart.

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name,

O Most High.

As you continue some nice deep breaths,

I invite you to gently notice if there's anything else you would like to praise God for,

Anything else that your heart would like to express,

Any joy that you want to savor and delight in.

As you continue breathing into this,

I invite you to also notice how it's possible for us to hold this intention with parts of us that don't feel grateful and aren't in a place to engage.

Notice what it's like to imagine God's mercy and grace for that messiness,

That complexity,

And if there's any part of you that wants to be judgmental or shame yourself for that,

I invite you to ask that part of you if they would be willing to step back just a little bit to give you some breathing room,

Inviting God's mercy to wash over you,

To wash over all parts of you,

Including that judgment,

Shame,

Any Thanksgiving,

Any lament.

Taking one more deep breath,

I'll close this with a prayer.

Lord God,

I thank you for joy,

And I thank you for the sweetness of joy that is most especially felt in contrast with sorrow,

Lament,

Sadness,

Grief.

I pray that you would help us to be able to tolerate the discomfort and messiness of how life includes all of these things.

Help us to rest in you,

Knowing that you are with us,

No matter what the day is like or what the season is like,

And giving us grace for the times it is hard to trust that you are with us.

Reviews

Thank you for the clear dedication to honoring God in gratitude. Keeping the reality of human experience with all its messiness in the conversation. Very excellent talk, meditation and prayer with scripture reading. Grateful! Peace, monk

Good morning and thank you☀️the reassurance of God’s Presence at ALL times is a comfort. May we give thanks and praise to His name🛐