“The psalms everywhere sing of this “meditation” on the Law of God. But above and beyond the Law, the psalmists are carried out of themselves by their experience of God’s mercy, by their realization of His fidelity to His promises: Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo! The psalms meditate not only on the goodness and beauty of the Law of God, and on the happiness of a life set in order by that Law, but above all on a supreme and ecstatic happiness which is the pure gift of God’s mercy to the poor, to the Anawin—to those who, because they have no human hope, greatness or support, are therefore shielded and loved with a special power and compassion on the part of God. Meditation on the psalms, inspired by love, is the key to the great mystery of the divine compassion.” (Thomas Merton, “Spiritual Direction and Meditation”)

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2

When you read the Psalms, you soon learn how the psalmists speak often of a “meditation” on the Law of God. Whether we want to speak of it as meditation, or as prayer, spending time on the word of G-d every day is something we read about in the scriptures.

“Isaac went out in the evening to meditate in the field” (Genesis 24:63)

Joshua, speaking to the people as they prepare to move into the promised land says: “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8)

And even Jesus says: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Matthew 6:6

Thomas Merton goes on to say: “…this penetration of the meaning of the psalms was not just a matter of studying them with the aid of a commentary. It was a question of “savoring” and “absorbing” the meaning of the psalms in the depths of one’s own heart, repeating the words slowly, thoughtfully, prayerfully in the deepest center of one’s being, so that the psalms gradually come to be as intimate and personal as one’s own reflections and feelings.” (Thomas Merton)

Time spent on scripture, whether you are reading it or praying on it, time spent on scripture is time well spent. As we have more down-time every day during this pandemic, spending time with scripture is beneficial in many ways. Mostly, scripture reminds us that G-d never abandons us, never forsakes us, and never forgets about us.

Pastor Dave

“Prayer is…a quarantine for the soul. It gives us the opportunity to be honest, to say what we believe, and to stand for what we say.” (“Man’s Quest for God”, Abraham Heschel)

“22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:22-25)

We hear to much about being “Quarantined” these days. If we leave the state and travel to another that has an elevated number of Covid cases, we have to quarantine ourselves when we return. If we come in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with, or even someone who has come into contact with someone who has Covid, we have to quarantine ourselves. To quarantine is to lock ourselves away from others — or to lock others away from ourselves.

Have you ever thought of prayer as a time of “quarantine”? I find this image comforting, but also challenging. I find it challenging because I want to have an un-interrupted prayer life, but unfortunately, my life is filled with too many distractions. But this is also why I find the image comforting — because this is what I think prayer time should be — a time where we are quarantined from others, from distractions, and quarantined from our thoughts.

When Abraham Heschel speaks of prayer time being a quarantine for the soul, I believe he is not just speaking of the time we spend alone in prayer, but he is also speaking about giving ourselves time to be honest about our need for G-d. Prayer allows us to present to G-d who we really are, not the false self we try to project to others. It allows us to speak honestly with G-d, saying what needs to be said, not what others think we should say. And it allows us to to stand naked in front of G-d, pouring out our true inner needs and desires.

My friends, prayer time should not feel like jail time — or Covid-19 quarantine time — sentenced to “hard time” without a clue when it might end. Instead, allow your prayer time to be an honest, heartfelt, faithful conversation with the G-d who never locks us out.

Pastor Dave