Praying the Psalms

 

Read Psalms 126-128

 

In Psalm 126, we hear the Psalmist turn toward an attitude of gratitude.  The Psalmist gives thanks for all God has done, great things.  This reminds me of a Jewish Prayer, Dayenu, at the Passover.   This is the last part of the prayer:

If God had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land, it would have been enough for us.

If God had taken us through it on dry land and had not pushed down our enemies in the Sea, it would have been enough for us.

If God had pushed down our enemies in [the Sea] and had not supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years, it would have been enough for us.

If God had supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years and had not fed us the manna, it would have been enough for us.

If God had fed us the manna and had not given us the Shabbat, it would have been enough for us.

If God had given us the Shabbat and had not brought us close to Mount Sinai, it would have been enough for us.

If God had brought us close to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us.

If God had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel, it would have been enough for us.

 

I love the image of “enough-ness” and the extravagance of God.  How God’s liberating love, embodied in Moses, sets God’s people free.  Notice how each verse builds on the next and how each verse proclaims the “enough-ness” of God’s action without needing/longing/wanting more.  This goes against the grain of modern-day thinking and living.  We live in an age of not enough-ness, where you are always being marketed to that you need to read another book, watch that webinar, do that thing to be “enough.”  You can play with this prayer practice, asking, “what is enough for you?”

 

Or a question to ponder based on Psalm 127, how is God the Construction Manager of the building of your life today?  Or do you see yourself as the architect, designer, developer, and laborer all by yourself?

 

Or a question to ponder based on Psalm 128, where do you taste the fruit of God’s love so far this week?

 

May God, whose enough-ness enfolds our beautifully fragile/holy incomplete lives.  May God’s enough-ness be felt, experienced, encountered, tasted, and heard for you this day.  Amen.