Consider My Groanings
Recently in revisiting A Praying Life by Paul Miller, I was struck by a particular paragraph talking about how prayer impacts the busyness of our lives:
“If we love people and have the power to help, our lives are going to be busy. Learning to pray doesn’t offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart. In the midst of outer busyness we can develop an inner quiet.”
We invite you to quiet your heart with a Lectio Divina of Psalm 5.
Take a few moments to quietly prepare your heart to enter God’s presence. Intentionally release the chaos and the noise in your mind. Read these passages slowly, lingering over the words. After each reading, take a few moments to silently reflect. Afterwards, spend a few minutes in prayer over what you received from God’s Word and give thanks for His amazing words of life
After the 1st passage: Listen for a word or phrase that particularly strikes you.
After the 2nd passage: Listen to how the passage seems to touch your life experience.
After the 3rd passage: Reflect on the questions below.
Excerpts from Psalm 5
Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch….
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me….
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
(ESV)
—-------------------------------------------
O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly….
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow….
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.
(NLT)
—-------------------------------------------
Listen, God! Please, pay attention!
Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries?
King-God, I need your help.
Every morning you’ll hear me at it again.
Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend….
And here I am, your invited guest— it’s incredible!
I enter your house; here I am, prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions to get me safely through enemy lines….
But you’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight.
(MSG)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS*
What is God doing in this passage? (Circle all of the words that show His actions/work.)
What is God inviting me to do? (Underline the words that show your actions/work.)
Comparing God’s actions and mine, where am I trying to control what only God can do?
How am I acting as if God is powerless to save?
How is God inviting me to change?
We invite you to take use the Lectio Divina worksheet,
PSALM 5 LECTIO DIVINA, to enhance your experience.