...following SPU's Lectio Guides
December 2 - 8
First.
Read the assigned Psalms (or plan out a reading schedule for the week ... try one each day)
- Psalm 103
- Psalm 104
- Psalm 105
- Psalm 106
Second.
Read or Listen to Dr. Frank Spina's Presentation
Third.
Take a Deep Breath, and make the words of the Psalm your very own prayer.
Follow this guide ...
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Praying Psalm 103 - Praise the Lord, My Soul
Psalm 103 is one of the most beloved of the psalms, and
it’s easy to see why. It invites the
reader/prayer/singer to reflect upon the Lord’s goodness and to bless the Lord
in grateful response. The praise we
offer comes from “my soul,” what Dr. Frank Spina describes as our “innermost
being or … essential self.” This Psalm
creates space for an intimate and deep connection between us and God. Make time to enter into it.
103:1-5. Forget Not All His Benefits
*Praise the Lord, my
soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. *Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all
his benefits— *who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, *who
redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, *who
satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the
eagle’s.- Reconnect with Your Inmost Being. Sometimes our prayers can be hurried, said in haste from near the surface of our lives, off “the top of our heads.” But here Psalm 103 calls us to praise the Lord from our soul, our inmost being. Quiet down. Take deep breaths and slowly exhale. Some call this “centering,” but regardless of the name it basically amounts to reestablishing the connection between your mind & heart, your thinking & being.
- Forget Not All the Lord’s Benefits. Personalize this list and expand on it with specifics. Lord, I remember your benefits and give you praise: You forgive all my sins [name specifics]. You heal my diseases [name specifics]. You redeem my life from the pit [name specifics of how God has rescued you from danger, difficulty, or depression]. You crown me with love and compassion [name specifics of how you have experienced God’s love]. You satisfy my desires with good things [name specific instances of God giving you a desired good thing].
103:6-7. Champion of the Oppressed
*The Lord works
righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. *He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds
to the people of Israel:- Personalize. Lord, you work righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. I feel oppressed in my life right now, oppressed by [name specifics]. Work your righteousness and justice into my situation, just as you did for Moses and the people of Israel when you brought them out of slavery into the promised land.
- Pray for the Oppressed. Lord, you work righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. I pray specifically for those who are oppressed. [Name the people and their situation]. Bring your righteousness and justice into their situation, and deliver them just as you heard the cry of your people while they were oppressed as slaves in Egypt, and you freed them and led them to the promised land.
103:8-12. Slow to Anger, Abounding in Steadfast Love
*The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
abounding in love. *He will not always
accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; *he does not treat us as our sins
deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. *For as high as the heavens are above the
earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; *as far as the east is from
the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.- Receive Forgiveness. Sometimes we need extra encouragement to truly believe God’s promise of forgiveness. Does God really forgive me? Pray these words following your confession of sin, allowing God’s compassion and grace to overwhelm you! Lord, you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. I’m so grateful that you don’t stay mad at me when I sin, and that you aren't making plans on getting back at me for my unfaithfulness. Your love for me is great – as high as the heavens are above the earth. In Christ I have the assurance that you have removed my transgressions from me as far as anybody can imagine – as far as the east is from the west.
- Offer Forgiveness. Being a child of God means that there should be some kind of family resemblance in how we relate to others. Pray something like this: Lord, you are compassionate and gracious. You are slow to anger. You abound in steadfast love. You don’t harbor anger forever. You don’t repay us as our sins deserve. Help me to be like you, and forgive as you have forgiven me.
103:13-18. Compassionate Understanding
*As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord
has compassion on those who fear him; *for he knows how we are formed, he
remembers that we are dust. *The life of
mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; *the wind
blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. *But from everlasting to everlasting the
Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their
children’s children—*with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his
precepts.- Meditate on God’s Understanding. Pray something like this: Lord, you know how I am formed. You remember that I’m human, formed out of the dust of the earth. I’m not God. I don’t have super human powers. I’m simply human, prone to make mistakes^. You understand my weaknesses, and you have compassion on me. Out of your great love for me, help me to keep your covenant and remember to obey your precepts. ^[If you're a fan of 80s music, this statement might remind you of the song “Human” by the Human League]
- Connect with Your Compassionate Heavenly Father. Two Options & sample prayers:
- If you experienced or are experiencing a compassionate human father. Lord, you have compassion on me just like a dad who is compassionate and understanding of his children. Thank you for my human father’s love, and thank you for your steadfast love. Form me into a person who loves others like you.
- If you didn’t experience or aren’t experiencing a compassionate human father. Lord, I don’t have much experience with a compassionate father. All I know is that you have compassion for me, the kind of compassion and understanding that I didn’t receive from my dad. Help me to receive your love, that I may love even those who didn’t act loving toward me.
103:19-22. Praise the Lord & King
*The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his
kingdom rules over all. *Praise the
Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his
word. *Praise the Lord, all his heavenly
hosts, you his servants who do his will.
*Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.- Personalize the Praise. Pray something like this: Lord, you have established your throne in heaven and your kingdom rules over all. Establish your throne in my life, that I might live under your rule, in harmony with your will. I praise you along with the angels and the heavenly hosts. I praise you along with you all your works everywhere. I praise you from the depths of my soul.
- Join Creation’s Chorus. Step outside, go for a walk/hike, spend time observing God’s works in nature – sky, clouds, trees, mountains, lakes, rivers, sea, etc. Imagine God’s creation praising God. Now join in with them!
Closing Blessing:
May you know God’s compassionate and steadfast love in
your inner being, at the very heart of your life. And out of this grounding in God’s love may
you bless the Lord with praises as you walk with Him.
Pastor Kurt
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