Hello friends and welcome to Psalm 88.
An early spring day here in the UK.
I'm recording outside.
Please welcome the sounds of nature,
Of life going by as part of this meditation.
Maybe as you settle and arrive you take a deeper breath.
You take a moment to pause,
To gather yourself into this space,
To let yourself be met by the love of the beloved,
Embraced and held and seen.
Letting go of all that can be let go of and what remains.
Letting that be tended to,
Met in the tender kindness of love.
Although this is a fairly long psalm I'm going to read it three times.
It's a psalm of lament and it seems appropriate to to read it those three times as a prayer,
As an offering of lament.
So on this first reading simply let the words come as a gift,
Let them fall as a rain over and through you.
Psalm 88.
O beloved,
Heart of my heart,
I call to you for help by day,
I cry out in the night.
Let my prayer come before you,
Bend your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of troubles and my life seems like dust.
I have fallen into a pit of despair.
I have no strength and I feel powerless,
Like one from whom you have turned,
Like the soil people walk upon.
You alone can comfort me in this abyss,
In the darkness of fear.
Separation from you is an agony,
Hopelessness threatens to overwhelm me.
Through you alone can I pray for my enemies,
For those who ignore my plight.
I am in a prison chained by fear,
I am weary of tears.
Every day I call upon you,
O beloved,
I lift up my hands in supplication.
Will you raise me from this living death?
Will you mend a broken heart?
Let not your steadfast love pass me by.
Have mercy on me,
O comforter.
Reach your hand into the darkness of my ego fears.
By your saving grace,
Forgive my unholy ways.
O merciful beloved,
I cry to you.
Each day my prayer comes before you.
Let not separation keep me from your heart.
Be my strength as I face the darkness inside.
Too long have I let fear control me,
Projecting onto others the demons dwelling within.
Let your love encircle and envelop me,
In your mercy raise me up.
Let peace become my companion all day long.
By night free me from the bonds of fear.
Let me be reconciled with family and friends,
And may I know you,
O loving companion presence,
As in days of old.
Amen.
On this second reading I invite you to notice any particular words or phrases that capture your attention.
O beloved,
Heart of my heart,
I call to you for help by day.
I cry out in the night.
Let my prayer come before you.
Bend your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life seems like dust.
I have fallen into a pit of despair.
I have no strength and I feel powerless.
Like one from whom you have turned,
Like the soil people walk upon.
You alone can comfort me in this abyss,
In the darkness of fear.
Separation from you is an agony.
Hopelessness threatens to overwhelm me.
Through you alone can I pray for my enemies,
For those who ignore my plight.
I am in a prison chained by fear.
I am weary of tears.
Every day I call upon you,
Beloved.
I lift up my hands in supplication.
Will you raise me from this living death?
Will you mend a broken heart?
Let not your steadfast love pass me by.
Have mercy on me,
O comforter.
Reach your hand into the darkness of my ego fears.
By your saving grace forgive my unholy ways.
O merciful beloved,
I cry to you.
Each day my prayer comes before you.
Let not separation keep me from your heart.
Be my strength as I face the darkness inside.
Too long have I let fear control me,
Projecting onto others the demons dwelling within.
Let your love encircle and envelop me.
In your mercy raise me up.
Let peace become my companion all day long.
By night free me from the bonds of fear.
Let me be reconciled with family and friends and may I know you.
O loving companion,
Presence as in days of old.
Amen.
On this third and final reading I invite you to maybe hear this as a prayer,
This lament,
Joining with the lament of your own heart and life.
Maybe a lament is exactly what you need at this time.
So let it weave in and through your own prayer and become a prayer with you and with your prayer.
Let it weave in and through your own life and join with your prayer.
You may also want to welcome more deeply any words or phrases that captured your attention.
Notice what your response is to them,
What's invited,
What's being offered.
Do they draw out of you a deeper place of lament and honesty?
Let this final reading come as a gift and bring you what you need.
O beloved,
Heart of my heart,
I call to you for help by day.
I cry out in the night.
Let my prayer come before you.
Bend your ear to my cry,
For my soul is full of troubles and my life seems like dust.
I have fallen into a pit of despair.
I have no strength and I feel powerless.
Like one from whom you have turned,
Like the soil people walk upon.
You alone can comfort me in this abyss,
In the darkness of fear.
Separation from you is an agony.
Hopelessness threatens to overwhelm me.
Through you alone can I pray for my enemies,
For those who ignore my plight.
I am in a prison,
Chained by fear.
I am weary of tears.
Every day I call upon you,
O beloved.
I lift up my hands in supplication.
Will you raise me from this living death?
Will you mend a broken heart?
Let not your steadfast love pass me by.
Have mercy on me,
O Comforter.
Reach your hand into the darkness of my ego fears.
By your saving grace,
Forgive my unholy ways.
O merciful beloved,
I cry to you.
Each day my prayer comes before you.
Let not separation keep me from your heart.
Be my strength as I face the darkness inside.
Too long have I let fear control me,
Projecting onto others the demons dwelling within.
Let your love encircle and envelop me.
In your mercy,
Raise me up.
Let peace become my companion all day long.
By night,
Free me from the bombs of fear.
Let me be reconciled with family and friends.
And may I know you,
O loving companion presence,
As in days of old.
Amen.
Friends,
If you're in a season of lament,
Do return to these words and let them be a prayer for you.
However they've arrived for you today,
May they be a blessing and a source of goodness and hope and encouragement.
May you go in peace.
May you go knowing that you are tenderly,
Gently and kindly loved.
Amen.
