Where will my help come from?: Lent Daybook 35

Take a few deep breaths, settle your body, mind, and heart into a quiet space, and let’s begin with prayer.

Opening prayer: Heavenly Father, make me more like Jesus and more like the true self you’ve created as I savor your loving presence today. Please guide my thoughts and impressions by your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Look: Sheep in the Moonlight, Craigie Aitchison - Source | HT

Listen: Travelers Psalm, Andy Zipf - Spotify | YouTube

Read: Psalm 120-127; Jeremiah 25:8-17; Romans 10:1-13; John 9:18-41

Excerpts:

In my distress I cry to the Lord, that he may answer me: “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.” …

Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

*

I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.

*

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. …

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers.” For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

*

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—let Israel now say—if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away; the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. …

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

*

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways, the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!

*

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.

*

For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and go out of their minds because of the sword that I am sending among them.

So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it:

*

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

*

They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

—Psalm 120:1-2, 6-7; Psalm 121; Psalm 122:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 123:3-124:5, 8; Psalm 125:4-5; Psalm 126:4-127:1; Jeremiah 25:15-17; Romans 10:5-9; John 9:34-41

Pray: A Body Prayer from Julian of Norwich (adapted from this source)

Read the brief introduction and then, knowing that you are held body, mind, and emotions in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit hold each pose of the prayer for 1-2 minutes. You can pray this prayer from your bed, your exercise mat, or wherever you find yourself today.

“An interesting example of Christian body prayer comes from Julian of Norwich, who lived during the time of the plague in England in the 14th c. Julian experienced severe bodily pain when she was thirty years old, during which she received visions, which she later recorded in Revelations of Divine Love. Julian wrote, "The fruit and the purpose of prayer is to be "oned" with God in all things."

Julian's Body Prayer is comprised of four poses and intentions: Await, Allow, Accept, and Attend.

The first pose, Await, is a posture of receiving, held with cupped hands extended at the waist to receive the presence of God.

The second pose, Allow, is a posture of opening, reaching up with the hands open to the coming of God's presence.

The third pose, Accept, takes in whatever comes, standing with hands cupped at the heart, head bowed.

The final posture, Attend, is assumed with hands extended and palms open in willingness to act on what has been given.

Once you have completed each pose, consider signing the cross over your head and heart in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and go back into your day with peace.

Do: Make space for rest today. Set your timer for 25 minutes and recline. If you have napping children at home, take a nap with them. This will go against every instinct when you probably have many things to do. Try it anyway.

Curl up with a blanket and a pillow and close your eyes. As your mind fights you with distractions, breath in the word "Hosanna", hold your breath gently for a count of four, and then breathe out "Save us now.”

*Sunday Scripture readings are taken from Year A of the Book of Common Prayer 2019 (Anglican Church of North America). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and include both Morning and Evening Psalms (Year 1)