Tag: Psalm 77

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 28  Read: Jonah 2 Listen: (1:20) Read: Psalm 77 Listen: (2:12)

Photo Note: Today’s image is of a Baptist church in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia struck by a Russian KAB-1500L laser-guided precision bomb during a prayer meeting this month, killing at least one person, a minister, and injuring at least eight others. (The Christian Post)

Reflection: Marks of Identity and Destiny

By John Tillman

Federico Villanueva’s commentary on Psalm 77 begins with a story.

“In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda…newspapers printed a photo of a woman standing in front of the ruins of a chapel after the typhoon devastated the city of Tacloban. Alone and soaked in the rain, the woman’s face is turned towards the place where the altar had stood. This image captures the persistent faith of Psalm 77.” (Asia Bible Commentary Series)

Something horrible happened to the psalmist. In context with the surrounding psalms, the event the psalmist mourned seems to be the destruction of the temple. Why else would the poet fear that God’s promise failed? Why else would the poet wonder if God’s unfailing love vanished?

Have you experienced something that inspired similar doubts? Have you stood, like the Filipino believer and the psalmist, witnessing a wrecked place of worship? Maybe one wrecked by something other than a physical storm? Have you lamented wreckages, damages, abuses, or failures that challenged your picture of God?

Defining moments leave marks of identity. Holocaust survivors have physical tattoos from Nazi camps, but also carry tattoos on their souls and psyches. Other traumatic events such as mass shootings, sexual abuse, unjust incarceration, violent crimes, or acts of war or terrorism can leave similar marks. These marks don’t ruin you unless you let them, but they also can’t be ignored or swept away.

Without experiencing such things, you might struggle understanding those who have. You might cringe at the honesty of someone saying, “It is all the same…He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” (Job 9.22) You might want to plead, “You shouldn’t say that!” But God welcomes brutal honesty.

The psalmist was irrevocably marked by the temple’s fall, however, a greater event left a greater mark. The psalmist reflected on God’s saving work in the Exodus. This defined God’s and Israel’s identities. This reflection didn’t erase suffering or doubt but provided reassurance of God’s holiness and love which sustained the souls marked by tragedy.

For Christians, the cross and resurrection are our Exodus story. In moments of loss, confusion, doubt, and pain, reflecting on the cross sustains us. The cross is the event upon which Jesus stakes his identity and in which we find ours.

No matter what has marked you, it doesn’t have the final word on your identity or destiny. The cross settles both our identity and destiny as united to Christ.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad. — Psalm 14.7b

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Who Tells Your Story?

We can afford to be unsympathetically honest about our sins because Jesus is the anti-Jonah

Who Tells Your Story?

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Scripture Focus: Psalm 77.1-4
1 I cried out to God for help; 
I cried out to God to hear me. 
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; 
at night I stretched out untiring hands, 
and I would not be comforted. 
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned; 
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. g 
4 You kept my eyes from closing; 
I was too troubled to speak.

From John: This rewritten post was first posted in 2018. Since then, suicide rates continue to rise in the United States among Christians and Christian ministers. With Covid and political strife crossing into church life, it hasn’t exactly gotten any easier for pastors in the past few years. Many have left the ministry under these pressures. For ministers and laypersons, Christian meditation and prayer is vital to surviving our world but Jesus and Paul would both testify that some problems can’t be “prayed away.” Seeing a counselor or doctor does not make one unfaithful. See the resources at the end of this post for help and more information.

Reflection: Discipline for the Anxious
By John Tillman

We live in distressing times. If there are corners of our world not touched by division, aggression, worry, and angst, you probably can’t get email there.

Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues have long been on the rise—especially among younger adults. Depression used to be the leading mental health issue. It’s been overwhelmingly surpassed by diagnoses of anxiety. In 2020 and 2021, Covid and the distressing task of sorting through the disinformation and politicization of the deadly disease drove anxiety to new heights. According to the CDC, symptoms of anxiety and depression peaked in December 2020 and January 2021 but are still far above previous norms.

A Harvard study found that church attendance paired with spiritual disciplines such as meditation and prayer have a beneficial effect on mental health. In a Forbes article, study author Ying Chen noted that being raised religiously, “can powerfully affect [children’s] health behaviors, mental health, and overall happiness and well-being.”

The psalmists would not express surprise at these findings. Though we think of our society as facing pressures unknown to humanity until now, we would be mistaken to think of ancient times as idyllic and calm.

David and the other psalmists certainly knew what it was like to live under threat, under financial pressure, under the constant weight of political instability and the wavering loyalty of an unpredictable government.

Amidst such pressures, they had a safe haven. Their help for the stresses of life was meditation and prayer.*

The psalmist writes of being “too troubled to speak,” yet he cries to God. He writes of insomnia, yet he rests in God. He writes of doubts and of feeling that God has rejected him, that his love has vanished, that he had forgotten to be merciful. Yet in the midst of doubts and fears, he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past. He meditates on these memories in the heated moment of stress.

The benefits of meditation can help in a crisis but are no quick fix. Meditation is not a fast-acting antidote for the world’s venom, but an inoculation to be taken ahead of time.

When beginning (or returning to) meditative prayer, start small and short. Use the prayer provided at the end of this devotional (Psalm 119.147) as a start. Spend two to five minutes simply re-reading the prayer with an expectant heart, asking God to be with you.

*We are in no way implying that meditation should be pursued in lieu of proper medical treatment. If you are in need of counseling and professional services, please consider the following resources:

Mental Health Grace Alliance
Not A Day Promised Resource Page
Life Recovered (Resources for Ministers)
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek his face. — Psalm 105.4

Today’s Readings
Proverbs 13 (Listen – 2:45)
Psalm 77 (Listen – 2:12)

Read more about The Practice of Meditation :: Running
One way of thinking of meditative prayer is exercise to expand your spiritual lung capacity, allowing you to breathe in God’s spirit more naturally.

The Practice of Meditation :: Running

Read more about Breathing Prayers
The social, financial, and mental health costs of this sickness are pushing our culture to the end of the ability of the “human spirit” to endure.

Breathing Prayers

Scripture Focus: Psalm 77.2-3
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.

From John: The world has gotten even more anxiety-inducing since we originally posted this in 2018. Many suicides of Christians and Christian ministers in the intervening years testify to this.

Christian meditation and prayer is still an important discipline to help us in distressing times but some problems you can’t pray away. Ask Paul. Ask Jesus. If you need the help of a counselor or doctor you are not being unfaithful. See the resources at the end of this post for help and more information. 

Reflection: Discipline for the Anxious
By John Tillman

We live in distressing times. If there are corners of our world not touched by division, aggression, worry, and angst, you probably can’t get email there.

Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are on the rise—especially among younger adults. National Survey of Children’s Health researchers found a 20 percent increase in diagnoses of anxiety among children ages 6 to 17, between 2007 and 2012. The American College Health Association found that anxiety, rather than depression, is the most common reason college students seek counseling services and that in 2016, 62 percent of undergraduates reported “overwhelming anxiety” in the previous year. (An increase from 50 percent in 2011.)

Studying this, science is discovering things that are not exactly new under the sun. A recent Harvard study found that church attendance paired with spiritual disciplines such as meditation and prayer have a beneficial effect on mental health. In a Forbes article, study author Ying Chen noted that being raised religiously, “can powerfully affect [children’s] health behaviors, mental health, and overall happiness and well-being.”

The psalmists would not express surprise at these findings. Though we think of our society as facing pressures unknown to humanity until now, we would be mistaken to think of ancient times as idyllic and calm.

David and the other psalmists certainly knew what it was like to live under threat, under financial pressure, under the constant weight of political instability and the wavering loyalty of an unpredictable government.

Amidst such pressures, they had a safe haven. Their help for the stresses of life was meditation and prayer.*

The psalmist writes of being “too troubled to speak,” yet he cries to God. He writes of insomnia, yet he rests in God. He writes of doubts and of feeling that God has rejected him, that his love has vanished, that he had forgotten to be merciful. Yet in the midst of doubts and fears, he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past. He meditates on these memories in the heated moment of stress.

Although the benefits of meditation can help in a crisis, meditation is not a quick fix. It is not a fast-acting antidote for the world’s venom, but an inoculation to be taken ahead of time.

When beginning (or returning to) meditative prayer, start small and short. Use the prayer provided at the end of this devotional (Psalm 119.147) as a start. Spend two to five minutes simply re-reading the prayer with an expectant heart, asking God to be with you.

*We are in no way implying that meditation should be pursued in lieu of proper medical treatment. If you are in need of counseling and professional services, please consider the following resources:
Mental Health Grace Alliance
Not A Day Promised Resource Page
Life Recovered (Resources for Ministers)
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.” Your face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not your face from me, nor turn away your servant in displeasure. — Psalm 27.10-12

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 28  (Listen – 4:32)
Psalm 77 (Listen – 2:12)

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 29  (Listen – 3:43) Psalm 78:1-39 (Listen – 7:12)
Ezekiel 30  (Listen – 4:07) Psalm 78:40-72 (Listen – 7:12)

Read more about The Practice of Meditation :: Running
One way of thinking of meditative prayer is exercise to expand your spiritual lung capacity, allowing you to breathe in God’s spirit more naturally at any time—including during a crisis.

The Practice of Meditation :: Running

Read more about The Practice of Meditation :: Tea
Allow the scripture to soak in your mind, repetitively dip it in your thoughts as you would a tea bag into warm water.

The Practice of Meditation :: Tea

Selected by reader, Melissa from Texas
Praying in this way has helped me. I really appreciate the comparison of meditation to inoculation rather than an antidote. 

Scripture Focus: Psalm 77.2-3
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.

Reflection: A Discipline for the Anxious :: Readers’ Choice
Originally published September 25th, 2018
By John Tillman

We live in distressing times. If there are corners of our world not touched by division, aggression, worry, and angst, you probably can’t get email there.

Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are on the rise—especially among younger adults. National Survey of Children’s Health researchers found a 20 percent increase in diagnoses of anxiety among children ages 6 to 17, between 2007 and 2012. The American College Health Association found that anxiety, rather than depression, is the most common reason college students seek counseling services and that in 2016, 62 percent of undergraduates reported “overwhelming anxiety” in the previous year. (An increase from 50 percent in 2011.)

Studying this, science is discovering things that are not exactly new under the sun. A recent Harvard study found that church attendance paired with spiritual disciplines such as meditation and prayer have a beneficial effect on mental health. In a Forbes article, study author Ying Chen noted that being raised religiously, “can powerfully affect [children’s] health behaviors, mental health, and overall happiness and well-being.”

The psalmists would not express surprise at these findings. Though we think of our society as facing pressures unknown to humanity until now, we would be mistaken to think of ancient times as idyllic and calm.

David and the other psalmists certainly knew what it was like to live under threat, under financial pressure, under the constant weight of political instability and the wavering loyalty of an unpredictable government.

Amidst such pressures, they had a safe haven. Their help for the stresses of life was meditation and prayer.*

The psalmist writes of being “too troubled to speak,” yet he cries to God. He writes of insomnia, yet he rests in God. He writes of doubts and of feeling that God has rejected him, that his love has vanished, that he had forgotten to be merciful. Yet in the midst of doubts and fears, he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past. He meditates on these memories in the heated moment of stress.

Although the benefits of meditation can help in a crisis, meditation is not a quick fix. It is not a fast-acting antidote for the world’s venom, but an inoculation to be taken ahead of time.
When beginning (or returning to) meditative prayer, start small and short. Use the prayer provided at the end of this devotional (Psalm 119.147) as a start. Spend two to five minutes simply re-reading the prayer with an expectant heart, asking God to be with you.

*We are in no way implying that meditation should be pursued in lieu of proper medical treatment. If you are in need of counseling and professional services, please consider the following resources:

Mental Health Grace Alliance
Not A Day Promised Resource Page
Life Recovered (Resources for Ministers)
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. — Psalm 86.4

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
1 Samuel 20 (Listen – 6:42) 
1 Corinthians 2 (Listen – 2:26)

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Read more about The Practice of Meditation :: Running
One way of thinking of meditative prayer is exercise to expand your spiritual lung capacity, allowing you to breathe in God’s spirit more naturally at any time—including during a crisis.

The Practice of Meditation :: Running

Read more about The Practice of Meditation :: Tea
Allow the scripture to soak in your mind, repetitively dip it in your thoughts as you would a tea bag into warm water. 

The Practice of Meditation :: Tea