O God, you are my God! I long for you!
My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1 (NET)*
I spent Saturday afternoon with a community of women in prison alongside a group of my Kairos sisters. As I meditated on what kind of encouragement I could share with the ladies, I repeated these words from the Psalms as I allowed them to soak into my mind.
Suddenly into the "dry and parched land where there is no water" the image of waves along the beach in Galveston, Texas rolled into my consciousness.
This photo was taken as I was taking a silent soul stroll by myself along the beach in July 2010. As I was pondering life, I remember thinking how like God's love those waves were.
The waves relentlessly rolled in and caressed each grain of sand, the gentle rhythm invited stillness and peace. There was simply nothing you could do to stop those waves. Just like there is nothing you can do that would ever stop God from loving you!
The sand, the stones, the seaweed, the tiny gulf creatures, the seagulls, the children playing ... none did anything to deserve the water that drenched them.
O God, you are my God! I long for you!
The waves relentlessly rolled in and caressed each grain of sand, the gentle rhythm invited stillness and peace. There was simply nothing you could do to stop those waves. Just like there is nothing you can do that would ever stop God from loving you!
O God, you are my God! I long for you!
The sand, the stones, the seaweed, the tiny gulf creatures, the seagulls, the children playing ... none did anything to deserve the water that drenched them.
O God, you are my God! I long for you!
Sometimes ... I forget how much God loves me, usually when I am not feeling that loving toward myself. Sometime, I strive to earn God's love, usually when I am feeling rather useless. Do you ever forget like I do or maybe you forget in your own way?
I think it is good for everyone to meditate and marinate in God's love occasionally at least, every day is helpful too!
O God, you are my God! I long for you!
Perhaps you might close your eyes and allow your longing for God to engulf you like waves on the beach. Repeat quietly these words and let them lead you into a gentle healing silence:
O God, you are my God! I long for you! (pause)
O God, you are my God! I long for you! (pause)
O God, you are my God! (pause)
O God, you are my God! (pause)
O God ... (pause)
O God
(pause ... and drift into silence for as long as seems right to you) Amen.
Remember that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can always pause, close your eyes, and walk on the beach ... with Jesus or the seagulls if you want to. Repeat these beautiful words from Psalm 63 as a calming mantra in your mind to find a moment of peace in your whirlwind life.
Final words to pray before moving on ...
Final words to pray before moving on ...
God of Stillness, drop your still dews of quietness until all my strivings cease; take from my soul the strain and stress, and let my ordered life confess the beauty of your peace. Breathe through the heat of my desire your coolness and your balm; let my senses be silent, let my flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, 0 still small voice of calm! Amen.
~John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)
Prayer found and adapted from Lyn Klug's All Will Be Well: A Gathering of Healing Prayers
*Scripture quoted by permission. (NET) from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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