Today’s scripture: Psalm 116 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
The last few months has been our second pass through the Book of Psalms this year. This will our last one for now, as we begin a series on various ways of Thanksgiving on Monday. Today’s Psalm is a good ending, and a beginning to next week.
My thoughts (David Zier):
As I read this Psalm, with the title in mind, it made me think, “What does recovery truly mean?” So many times we put it in human terms, and we pray and think we can be healed from anything. I am not saying that it is not possible, but in the reality of living, I have come to realize that life is a process, that good and bad things happen, that illness can occur at any age, and that we eventually die of something, even if that something is an accident and not illness.
Verse 7 says it all for me: “Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Return my soul to your rest. That sounds peaceful, as if there is no anguish and no suffering. Just peace. This kind of recovery sounds like, “Return my soul to your peace; help me to be whole, right where I am.” Recovery and healing do not always look the way we sometimes might think.
I have had two friends with multiple myeloma. This is a type of cancer that can go into remission for several years, but there is no known cure. It eventually returns in a few years, sometimes a few more years than that, sometimes less. As the doctors manage the disease, and with the other complications and side effects that can occur, a new equilibrium is reached, and its management remains a work in progress. Pray for the person, pray for the doctors and health care providers, and pray for healing. Allow God to create that healing space, and allow the person to come to a place of peace, to live abundantly as God will give them.
I have my own stuff.. When I receive a new medication regimen to help manage my abnormal EEG (partial siezuree) and the long-term effects of a brain tumor from more than 20 years ago, my body goes nuts. I go through a stage, every time they make a change, where it seems that my body is rejecting whatever it is they changed or added. I am sure this is not a “good thing.” I feel bad for Jeff, my spouse, because I don’t think he knows what to do. I get a high fever, my entire body aches, I get rashes, it feels like ice in my veins, and I cannot get comfortable. I go back and forth between walking around to “walk it off” or sitting praying I will feel better. And every time this happens, it always passes. Each time I think it is worse, but it is the same. My body has reached equilibrium again. So you can imagine that I pray often to come off the meds!
This Psalm is a reminder to me to pray, “God, return my soul to your rest.” What a beautiful healing prayer to pray. My friends with multiple myeloma never used those specific words, but it seems they have been faithful to them. This also makes a beautiful breath prayer as well. If you find yourself in the middle of a messy day, or at a place where you want a little more peace, pray, “God, return my soul to your peace.” Take a few moments now and ask God for that peace.
Prayer for the day: “God, return my soul to your peace.” Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.