I am utterly exhausted; physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent after being surrounded by the walls of the mammoth University of Iowa hospital with my parents for over eight hours. I am restless, feeling a bit empty and estranged from my familiar surroundings, more than a wee bit crabby, and void of anything really worthy to say. And so I defer to the words of the psalmist, whose poetry was even more poignant to me on this day; a day in which hope seemed threatened.
Psalm 145 (146)*
Selected Verses
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men,
In whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs,
He returns to his earth;
On that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps his faith forever;
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners,
He upholds the widow and the fatherless;
But the way of the wicked He will bring to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
Thy God, O Zion, to all generations.
Poetry Wednesday
*The Orthodox numbering and organizing of the psalms is based on the numbering in the Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew Masoretic text. Thus the difference in numbering above which your typical Bible translation will have marked as 146.
*The Orthodox numbering and organizing of the psalms is based on the numbering in the Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew Masoretic text. Thus the difference in numbering above which your typical Bible translation will have marked as 146.
4 comments:
Beth, I'm so sorry your parents are struggling but thankful for you and your attitude of praise even in the midst of the world's hopelessness. May your spirit be revived during this time of celebration of our Savior's birth!
Oh dear. Lord come to our aide! Hang in there. God will not leave us.
I too always go to the Psalms when my mind, heart and body are completely spent. Prayers for you, dear Beth. I so wish I lived closer.
It is amazing how we need not make up our own prayers and praises. When our words fail there are always the Psalms.
We will pray for all of you, Beth.
Post a Comment