For Your Prayer

 

I enjoyed putting this together a couple of weeks ago, for the Lenten devotional series of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Williamsburg, VA:

One of my heroes, Dorothy Day, once wrote: “My strength returns to me with my cup of coffee and the reading of the Psalms.”  It’s a good way to begin a morning!  And, so, I gravitate towards Psalm 27, which is appointed for this day, and find that it is full of prompts for prayer.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?”

For your prayer: Do you believe these words?  Who are you afraid of? 

Fear is rampant in our culture.  Fear mutates into anger and closed-off intolerance, which becomes polarization and division.  We become likely to identify enemies, adversaries.  Sure enough, that’s happened with the Psalm writer.  In verses two, six, 11 and 12:

“When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh –

my adversaries and foes –

they stumble and fall…."

“Now my head is lifted up

above my enemies all around me,…"

“Teach me your way, O Lord,

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they are breathing out violence.”

So, for your prayer: Who are evildoers?  Who are enemies and adversaries?  And, most importantly: What role is your ego playing in this?  Are you reacting out of fear?  Are the “evildoers” truly evil?  Must they be enemies?

I give thanks that, at this point in my life, there are no enemies and adversaries threatening me with physical violence.  For me, “enemies” and “adversaries” come from within me.  That inner voice telling me that I’m not good enough?  That’s an enemy bearing false witness, and I don’t have to believe that lie.  That knee-jerk deep urge to feel responsible for what is not my responsibility?  That’s an inner adversary.  In my prayer, I recognize those voices now.  They do not surprise me, at this stage of my journey.  I am not afraid of them.  My prayer is that “the Lord [who] is the stronghold of my life” will continually turn me towards “my light and my salvation” that is in God.

So, for your prayer: What are the lies that you hear from your inner enemies and adversaries?  How do those voices of darkness make dim the light and salvation that is in God?

Andy Ballentine