Tag Archives: Heal My Soul

Heal Our Souls

Lent

March 16, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
   my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
   as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
   beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
   my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
   I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
   and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
   and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
   and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

This is my go-to scripture for refreshing my relationship with God. I memorized it years ago and rarely read it. Today’s reading reminded me that the version I memorized is slightly different from the verses quoted above, but the sense remains the same. I am not sure how satisfied my soul is currently and I avoid rich feasts for my health. I do remember lazily sitting with mostly the women in my family after Thanksgiving dinner when I was a child. I know what a rich feast with loved ones is about and that the riches come from the sharing of love, which can also be measured by the healthiness or quantity of the food.  

Satisfying my soul, however, is a greater challenge. I am reminded of the third verse of the Christmas carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on Earth, ” I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on Earth, good will to men*

Hate is a symptom, not a cause. Greed and lust for power are the drivers of our lack of peace. I doubt seriously that those who war against others care about the people they hurt, the greedy want the other’s land or money or whatever else they may have that is of worth to the perpetrator. Greed is a fatal disease but before its death, many people can be damaged. Our great challenge is to share the love of God throughout the earth until the souls of all God’s children can be satisfied and they can end their quest for abundance by recognizing it only lies in sharing love with God and with one another.

Prayer: Lord, heal our souls so that we can be a conduit of your love to all your children. Amen.

*https://www.google.com/search?q=i+heard+the+bells+on+christmas+day+lyrics&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS987US987&oq=I+heard+t&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j35i39j46i512l4j0i512j46i512j0i512l2.4028j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Soul Rest

Living in the Spirit
November 21, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 132:1-12 (13-18)

Lord, and go to your resting-place,
   you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
   and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David’s sake
   do not turn away the face of your anointed one. –Psalm 132:8-10

God set the example of resting in the creation story where in Genesis 2:2 God rested on the seventh day. The Psalmist in the above scripture acknowledges the Ark of the Covenant as God’s holy abode. This scripture was most likely a part of a special ceremony. People need at times to express themselves, their feelings, a recommitment to a cause, or a renewal of self. We do that in secular moments such as Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Christians recognize special moments throughout the church year as do other religions.

I have been very busy over the last few days needing to find time to do personal stuff like laundry and grocery shopping. I must confess procrastination is the cause of my laundry stacking up. After a busy day, my recliner hold’s its grip on me along with a good book or a Thunder game. My washing machine and dryer both are capable of operating at such times, but the chair just will not allow me to carry the clothing from the basket to the machine. I seem to have an innate need to have some time in my life when I can rest or be restful.

I find it interesting the author of the scriptures relates rests with priests being clothed in righteousness. Does that indicate an intentionality to being righteous? Is holy rest a time when our souls shower ridding ourselves of the grime that life throws at us in our daily walk and then we dress from the inside out in new clean garments of righteousness preparing us for the continuation of our journey of faith?

Prayer: Lord, order my life in your way guiding me to just the right amount of soul-rest to carry me through my journey of faith. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Nourished Souls

Living in the Spirit
June 23, 2017

Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1b-11

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. –Romans 6:5-11

Some of us have more “old self” to deal with than others, some because of the passage of time, and some from excessive misuse of time. At my six-month dental check, the dentist noted to the hygienist that my teeth showed a lot of wear. He wasn’t talking to me, but I responded, “They’ve had a lot of years of use.”  I did not mean to embarrass the young dentist, but he tried to soothe over any thought that he was suggesting I was old. His concern wasn’t necessary; I am comfortable with my age, and I do try to take good care of my teeth, but they have had a lot of use.

If we could examine our souls, we most likely would see wear, some more than others. The healing of the soul through the love of God and the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ restores our wholeness to a new life. God continues to nourish our souls in our continuing relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. Maintaining any relationship requires a commitment on both sides. Bad habits of life are hard to erase. Good habits are often hard to initiate. Being intentional about letting go of those “old self” characteristics and taking on the way of Christ will help.

Prayer: Lord, nurture our souls as we grow in our faith and our relationship with you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the new Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Our Own Demons

sunny-sideup-eggsLiving in the Spirit
June 18, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-39

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. –Luke 8:26-31

Heal My Soul. I think I first heard this prayer in a song by David Teems in his album Scars and Stripes which came out in 1998. It has resonated with me ever since. Last year my Sunday School class completed Joel Ortberg’s study Soul Keeping. We all were touched by how much we needed to pay attention to our souls, but often do not. It can be quite scary to think about ridding our souls of the muck and mire that clogs our being like rotting leaves backed up in a sewer line. We do not deal well with emptiness and we are at times hesitant to be filled with the powerful love of God. Why do you suppose that is?

It is really hard at times to see ourselves as others see us or to know ourselves as God knows us. I have done battle with weight most of my adult life. (Was an underweight skinny little kid actually.) My doctor referred me to a nutritionist. A tall angular woman, who I am sure was never a pound overweight in her life, studied very carefully the food diary I had keep the previous week. I was supposed to eat no more than 1200 calories each day and I had fulfilled that requirement but had not lost any weight. There was no question in my mind that she thought I was lying to myself and to her in my accounting. Just for the record, I was not lying. I even had measured and weighed everything. She took a plate and set it on the table between us and then took plastic food, including two sunny-side-up eggs, and carefully displayed them on the plate lecturing me on proper proportions. I am not a violent person, but I was very tempted to pick up those plastics eggs and slap them across her face. You will be pleased to know that I did not. I also did not ever return to see her. We cannot help others, if we let biases based on our own way of being cloud our judgment.

While I doubt we will ever obtain Paul’s perfection in real time, we must deal with our own demons to some degree before we can truly be servants to others. The process of daily examination of ourselves in the presence of God is a worthy one.

Prayer: Heal my soul, O Lord, so that I might be a balm to others. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.