Listen

The Lord is merciful and righteous; our God is compassionate. The Lord protects simple folk; he saves me whenever I am brought down. I tell myself, You can be at peace again, because the Lord has been good to you. You, God, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, and my foot from stumbling, so I’ll walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalms 116:5-9

Think

The psalms are full of affirmations of God’s care for God’s children. This portion of Psalm 116 uses language charged with affection, describing God as one who is compassionate. God has been a good protector and caretaker of those with a simple heart.

It is very easy to lose sight of the importance of this language in the Bible because we usually prefer more formal and transcendent categories to speak of God. The truth is that our God does not lose transcendence or majesty when showing tenderness to people. On the contrary, it is precisely the ability to approach in very personal and concrete ways that makes our God truly great. God has the power to be completely more than human beings and at the same time, be closer to us than we could ever be to ourselves. This reminds us that God is a friendly presence for this life and not merely a future promise awaiting fulfillment.

Edgardo Fuentes Colón

Question to Ponder:

What kind of personal language do you use to talk to God?

Pray

God, thank you for approaching me even when my smallness before your greatness is evident. In this prayer I want to be sure to express my love for you and highlight all the virtues that make you the center of my life. Thank you for taking care of me with the utmost attention and for ridding me of my own insecurities. Help me to develop the ability to pray using personal and close language, and help my thoughts about you, no matter how high they may be, never lead me to think that you are far away. Amen.

Go

May God communicate in diverse and creative ways all that produces life in our spirit. May this strength make us attentive listeners, proactive doers, and communicators of the fullness of life that we find in God.