Psalms 22 and 27

Psalm 22:

 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

   Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;

   and by night, but find no rest.

Yet you are holy,

   enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our ancestors trusted;

   they trusted, and you delivered them.

To you they cried, and were saved;

   in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm, and not human;

   scorned by others, and despised by the people.

All who see me mock at me;

   they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;

“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—

   let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”

Yet it was you who took me from the womb;

   you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.

On you I was cast from my birth,

   and since my mother bore me you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,

   for trouble is near

   and there is no one to help.

Many bulls encircle me,

   strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

they open wide their mouths at me,

   like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,

   and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

   it is melted within my breast;

my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

   and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

   you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs are all around me;

   a company of evildoers encircles me.

My hands and feet have shriveled;

I can count all my bones.

They stare and gloat over me;

they divide my clothes among themselves,

   and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far away!

   O my help, come quickly to my aid!

Deliver my soul from the sword,

   my life from the power of the dog!

   Save me from the mouth of the lion!

From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.

I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;

   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

   All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;

   stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he did not despise or abhor

   the affliction of the afflicted;

he did not hide his face from me,

   but heard when I cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

   my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied;

   those who seek him shall praise the Lord.

   May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember

   and turn to the Lord;

and all the families of the nations

   shall worship before him.

For dominion belongs to the Lord,

   and he rules over the nations.

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;

   before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

   and I shall live for him.

Posterity will serve him;

   future generations will be told about the Lord,

and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,

   saying that he has done it.

 

Psalm 27:

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? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. 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. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

 

COMMENT: This psalm, said to be “of David,” is a hymn of praise to the safety and protection of the Temple in Jerusalem—“the house of the Lord.” Metaphysically, it is a ringing affirmation of the safety, joy, and security we feel when we surrender our lives to the Christ Presence within us. To “live in the house of the Lord” is to consistently know and express our intimate relationship with the Power of God—to make all choices from a consciousness of our innate Oneness with the Presence and Power of God. Nothing in the outer world can threaten our safety when we are centered in our spiritual Power. And when we make our choices—major and minor—from that Christ Consciousness, then we will truly “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” as the positive results of our spiritual choices become manifest in the world around us.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed

Comment:

Psalm 22: This psalm is best known for its opening line, which Jesus is reported to have repeated while on the cross, according to the Gospel of Mark (15:34). The entire psalm is a prayer for healing, moving from a sense of despair through a realization that the problem lies not with the Lord, but with the author’s consciousness, concluding with a grateful surrender to the always-present Power of the Lord. I think the psalm’s real power lies in the central verses, as the author becomes aware that he has been allowing the negative energies of other people to blind him to the eternal Love that is the Lord of his being. Recognizing that we have allowed ourselves to be led into accepting false beliefs of duality, judgment, and unworthiness is the essential step in reclaiming our spiritual Power and allowing it to heal our challenges.

Psalm 27: This psalm, said to be “of David,” is a hymn of praise to the safety and protection of the Temple in Jerusalem—“the house of the Lord.” Metaphysically, it is a ringing affirmation of the safety, joy, and security we feel when we surrender our lives to the Christ Presence within us. To “live in the house of the Lord” is to consistently know and express our intimate relationship with the Power of God—to make all choices from a consciousness of our innate Oneness with the Presence and Power of God. Nothing in the outer world can threaten our safety when we are centered in our spiritual Power. And when we make our choices—major and minor—from that Christ Consciousness, then we will truly “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” as the positive results of our spiritual choices become manifest in the world around us.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed