Tag Archives: Soul Care

Strengthen Our Souls

Living in the Spirit

August 20, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away. –Psalm 138:1-6

I am not sure I have ever considered that the soul possesses strength. My tendency is to think that a soul can be full or empty, not strong or weak. Of course, I have no idea where I picked up that perception. Venturing into Strong’s Concordance, I found that the soul is much more complicated than I realized.  The concordance describes the word “soul” used in Psalm 138 as the seat of emotions and passions* and in this instance, refers to joy.

The Hebrew word joy** relates to rejoicing. The Greek word for joy***, as used in the listing of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)— describes the awareness of God’s grace or favor.

Indeed, I may be overthinking the application of the meaning of words, but the truth is that during this time in our world, I need God’s fullness and strength and grace and favor, and I believe we all do. I grow weary hearing news reports of the chaos in our world. Yet, I care about all those being negatively impacted by circumstances beyond their control, and our failure to address the things we can.

Someone asked me recently if I was happy, and I responded, “no.” I now realize I do rejoice in loving God, who restores my soul in both fullness and strength as a gift of God’s wonderful grace. God does that for all of us when we open our hearts to God.

 Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below****.

Prayer: Thank you God for the fruit of the spirit with which you grace us. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5315.htm
** https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2302b.htm
***https://biblehub.com/greek/5479.htm
****First and second verses of Be Still My Soul by Kathrina von Schlegel see at https://hymnary.org/text/be_still_my_soul_the_lord_is_on_thy_side

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.

Renewal of Faith Strength

the-transfigurationEpiphany
February 6, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. –Luke 9:28-32

I know what it is like to be weighed down with sleep. While reading a book, I may want to finish just to the end of the chapter but my eyes just will not stay open. I don’t know how many times I have turned on the 10:00 pm news only to wake up in the middle of one of the late shows having missed the weather forecast for the next day, my primary reason for watching. In neither case, my actions were not the result of lack of interest.

I do not think I have ever had that happen while waiting for the doctor to come and report outcomes for a loved one in the hospital. During those times, my whole body is engaged. In the Transfiguration, Jesus was fully engaged; his disciples were not. Their levels of commitment were different. Because the disciples did not give in to the weight of sleep, they caught a glimpse of God’s glory that, I have no doubt, transformed their lives forever.

How do we remain fully engaged in our faith journey? First, it is a good idea to take care of our physical and mental needs. We know the drill: eat right, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep. We need to do the same thing with our souls. We need to nourish ourselves through study, keep faithful in worship, and most importantly of all, take time each day to rest in the Lord.

Prayer: God, when I fall short, as I surely will, of maintaining well the engagement of my soul, let your grace be present with me to give me a glimpse of your glory that will renew my faith strength. 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.