Suffering With Joy

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 27

July 17, 2010

David points to his eye: an illustration of verse 13 of Psalm 27, tempera colors and gold paint on parchment, Master of Jean de Mandeville French, Paris, about 1360 - 1370

Psalm 27 is a prayer of trust in God no matter the adversities we face.  Every verse speaks of faith in the power of God and trust in His ways with sure knowledge of victory over the evil one.  Since my main spiritual task is to learn to trust in God for everything and to thank Him for His goodness, this psalm helps me a lot.  It’s long, so I will take only one of my favorite verses to speak about, #5:

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to contemplate His temple.

One thing I look forward to about heaven is to “behold the beauty of the Lord”, a beauty that is sure to evoke a feeling of everlasting joy.  In heaven everything will be in place, in peace.  Nothing will be able to trouble us.  But God evidently means for us to start practicing faith and hope in Him in this life, and practicing humble worship of Him in His temple, too.  He is our strength.

I am learning not to struggle against adversity in this life, but rather to face it calmly and ask God what He wants me to learn from it.  Facing temporal and spiritual difficulties with peace of heart and confidence in God is a lifelong exercise of the soul and will. It is an habitual turning toward Christ and laying all things at His feet. As Father Paschal Botz, O.S.B. wrote about this psalm:

Faith and trust are an ever-flowing fountain that leads to eternal life.  If we seek His face in the celebrations around the Altar, Christ can fill our whole lives.  Generally Christians do not know all that the Altar means.  It is God’s special place, the crossroads of two worlds, the rock of ages, where trust grows out of the Sacrifice-Banquet.  There we live anew the Mysteries of Christ in our midst, share His sentiments of trust, become identified with His life-giving vitality. We lose our fears and false self and become truly free of real and phantom enemies.  We must take seriously that He is the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12), that no one goes to the Father except through Him (Jn. 14: 6), which includes His incarnation and sacramental system.  He was consumed with passion for God’s house, which He fulfilled in Himself.

After contemplating this I must often say to myself verse #14:

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

This psalm is prayed every Monday at the hour of Terce in the 1962 Divine Office. Monasteries and convents have it right when they stop everything seven times a day to praise God (eight times if you count getting up at 4:30 to chant Matins).   Because we’re human and very distractable and get agitated over worldly things, setting formal hours throughout the day to recollect ourselves and focus on God builds peace of soul. Holy Mass usually follows Terce in monastic life, and this psalm foretells the sharing in the Holy Eucharist. Gathering around His altar on earth I see the goodness of the Lord (the Holy Eucharist). I am in the land of the living with all others who are living in Him.

Tags: psalms

3 Comments to Praying the Psalms – Psalm 27

1. 

   Beautiful reflection. God’s beauty, wonderful food for thought.
Colleen on July 17th, 2010
2. 

   I’ve come to appreciate the range of emotions displayed in the Psalms, from joy to despair, from firmest faith to darkest doubts. Even the most devout believers go through all those stages, and the Bible shows that’s always been the case. And like you, I’m learning not to try to fight off adversity all the time but to place my trust in God and see how I can grow from it.

   Blessings!
Evan on July 18th, 2010

3. Dog Psalms: Prayers My Dogs Have Taught Me…

   This is great! I’ve added this to my blog (trackbak) if you don’t mind? Let me know if you do….
Consciousness and Spirituality on July 25th, 2010