Hello friends and welcome to this Lectio Divina on Psalm 19.
And I'm recording outside again today,
So you may hear the sounds of nature,
You may hear the occasional car go past in the lane,
Or the tractor in the field as the farmers harvest the grass for silage.
I trust that any sounds that you hear,
That you will welcome them,
And let them be part of this meditation,
Let them bring their offering,
Their invitation to you.
So as we prepare for Psalm 19,
I invite you to come to stillness,
Becoming aware of your breath,
And letting that breath bring you to your interior to settle within,
Letting your shoulders drop,
Letting yourself sink and settle,
Receiving the grace to be present here and now,
Letting go of the day so far and of what's to come,
Knowing that for these moments,
All that's required is for you to be here,
To be in this moment,
To be with these words,
And to let them bring what you need at this time.
So I'm reading from Psalms for Praying,
An invitation to wholeness by Nan Merrill.
And on this first reading of Psalm 19,
I invite you to simply let the words come,
Without attaching or connecting to any in particular.
The heavens declare the glory of the creator,
The firmament proclaims the handiwork of love.
Day to day speech pours forth,
And night to night knowledge is revealed.
There is no speech,
Nor are there words,
Their voice is not heard.
Yet does their music resound through all the earth,
And their words echo to the ends of the world.
In them,
A tent for the sun is set,
Which is like a bride and groom on their wedding night,
As they sing love song and celebrate the dance of life.
Its rising is in eternity,
And its circuit to infinity.
Nothing is hidden from the sunlight.
The law of love is perfect,
Reviving the soul.
The testimony of love is sure,
Making wise the simple.
The precepts of love are right,
Rejoicing the heart.
The authority of love is pure,
Enlightening the eyes.
The spirit of love is glorious,
Enduring forever.
The rites of love are true,
Awakening compassion.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Even much fine gold.
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover,
By them are the loving guided.
In keeping them,
There is great reward.
But who can discern their own weaknesses?
Cleanse me,
O love,
From all my hidden faults.
Keep me from boldly acting in error.
Let my fears and illusions not have dominion over me.
Then shall I become a beneficial presence,
Freely and fully surrendered to your love.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart find favor in your heart,
O my beloved,
My strength and my joy.
So on this second reading,
I invite you to notice any words or phrases that capture your attention.
The heavens declare the glory of the creator.
The firmament proclaims the handiwork of love.
Day to day speech pours forth and night to night knowledge is revealed.
There is no speech,
Nor are there words.
Their voice is not heard,
Yet does their music resound through all the earth and their words echo to the ends of the world.
In them,
A tent for the sun is set,
Which is like a bride and groom on their wedding night,
As they sing love song and celebrate the dance of life.
Its rising is in eternity and its circuit to infinity.
Nothing is hidden from the sunlight.
The law of love is perfect,
Reviving the soul.
The testimony of love is sure,
Making wise the simple.
The precepts of love are right,
Rejoicing the heart.
The authority of love is pure,
Enlightening the eyes.
The spirit of love is glorious,
Enduring forever.
The rights of love are true,
Awakening compassion.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Even much fine gold.
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover,
By them are the loving guided.
In keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own weaknesses?
Cleanse me,
O love,
From all my hidden faults.
Keep me from boldly acting in error.
Let my fears and illusions not have dominion over me.
Then shall I become a beneficial presence,
Freely and fully surrendered to your love.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart find favour in your heart.
O my beloved,
My strength and my joy.
So on this third and final reading,
I invite you to welcome the words or phrases that stood out to you.
Welcome them to go to those deeper places within,
To bring you whatever you need,
An invitation,
A gift,
Maybe even a challenge.
Welcome them to minister their truth,
Their kindness and their love.
The heavens declare the glory of the creator.
The firmament proclaims the handiwork of love.
Day to day speech pours forth and night to night knowledge is revealed.
There is no speech,
Nor are there words.
Their voice is not heard.
Yet does their music resound through all the earth and their words echo to the ends of the world.
In them a tent for the sun is set,
Which is like a bride and groom on their wedding night,
As they sing love song and celebrate the dance of life.
Its rising is in eternity and its circuit to infinity.
Nothing is hidden from the sunlight.
The law of love is perfect,
Reviving the soul.
The testimony of love is sure,
Making wise the simple.
The precepts of love are right,
Rejoicing the heart.
The authority of love is pure,
Enlightening the eyes.
The spirit of love is glorious,
Enduring forever.
The rights of love are true,
Awakening compassion.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Even much fine gold.
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover,
By them are the loving guided.
In keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own weaknesses?
Cleanse me,
O love,
From all my hidden faults.
Keep me from boldly acting in error.
Let my fears and illusions not have dominion over me.
Then shall I become a beneficial presence,
Freely and fully surrendered to your love.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart find favour in your heart,
O my beloved,
My strength and my joy.
May these words continue to bring their gift to you,
As you continue to sit with them,
To welcome them,
To let them change you,
To let them minister to what you need.
Do linger a while longer if you have time.
And I pray blessing,
Hope,
Grace and great love to you,
My friends.
Amen.
