Hello friends and welcome to this Lectio Divina on Psalm 12.
And before we come to the words in the Psalm,
I want to give some moments for you to come to a place of stillness and rest.
To take a pause in the day.
To take a breath and to find yourself here and now in this moment.
Letting go of distraction,
Letting go of anything that you've been carrying.
Any demands.
Any to-do list.
In these moments,
Right here and now,
Being free to let go.
And if you struggle to let go,
To welcome God,
To lift the burdens from your shoulders.
To receive the grace to be here in this moment.
That right now,
Nothing else is needed but to be here.
Allow your attention to gently move from the head and the busyness within.
Down through to your centre,
Where there is stillness and calm.
To that place where you are enfolded in the beloved within.
And you and God find union and peace.
Know today that you are loved,
That you are seen and known and that you are not alone.
I'm going to read Psalm 12 three times.
And on this first reading I invite you to let the words come as a reign without attaching to any in particular.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
Darkness seems to pervade the earth.
Where is the faith?
The integrity that once lived in the hearts of your people.
Where is the truth?
The trust that made its home in us.
O love,
Cleanse us from our double talk.
Create in us new and single hearts.
Spare us from those who think our speeches will win over all.
Words are our weapons.
No one can master us.
For the hearts of those who call to me,
For those who cry out for wholeness,
I shall make myself known,
Says the beloved.
I shall make myself known in their hearts.
The promises of love are pure,
Like silver refined in a crucible,
Like gold purified seven times.
Be our safeguard,
O blessed one.
Stay close by throughout these dark days,
Where unloving hearts seem to abound.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
And on this second reading,
I invite you to notice maybe just a single word or a phrase that stands out to you,
That captures your attention.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
Darkness seems to pervade the earth.
Where is the faith,
The integrity that once lived in the hearts of your people?
Where is the truth,
The trust that made its home in us?
O love,
Cleanse us from our double talk.
Create in us new and single hearts.
Spare us from those who think our speeches will win over all.
Words are our weapons.
No one can master us.
For the hearts of those who call to me,
For those who cry out for wholeness,
I shall make myself known,
Says the beloved.
I shall make myself known in their hearts.
The promises of love are pure,
Like silver refined in a crucible,
Like gold purified seven times.
Be our safeguard,
O blessed one.
Stay close by throughout these dark days,
Where unloving hearts seem to abound.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
And on this third and final reading,
I invite you to welcome the word or phrase that connected with you to go deeper,
To bring whatever it's offering.
Notice where it stirs you,
How you're responding to it.
Is it inviting anything from you?
Allow the word or phrase to bring its gift.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
Darkness seems to pervade the earth.
Where is the faith,
The integrity that once lived in the hearts of your people?
Where is the truth,
The trust that made its home in us?
O love,
Cleanse us from our double talk,
Create in us new and single hearts.
Spare us from those who think our speeches will win over all.
Words are our weapons.
No one can master us.
For the hearts of those who call to me,
For those who cry out for wholeness,
I shall make myself known,
Says the beloved.
I shall make myself known in their hearts.
The promises of love are pure,
Like silver refined in a crucible,
Like gold purified seven times.
Be our safeguard,
O blessed one.
Stay close by throughout these dark days,
Where unloving hearts seem to abound.
Come to our aid,
O beloved.
If you have time,
I invite you to linger in the stillness and to stay with the word,
The words or the phrases that resonated with you.
You may want to journal.
You may simply want to be.
You may want to offer a response.
And as we leave this meditation,
I pray that you will know great grace and peace and joy as you continue on with your day and your moments.
May you be blessed,
My friends.
Amen.
