http://web.mac.com/craigadams1/Commonplace_Holiness/Blog/Entries/2008/4/2
9_Praying_the_Psalms.html
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Many years ago, back in the days when I was in Seminary, I picked up an
Interlinear Hebrew-English Psalter.
It's one of the best purchases I've ever made.
It's a small, slim volume, a 1974 Zondervan reprint of a much older
edition published by Samuel Bagster & Sons Ltd. in London. The correct
title is: The Interlineary Hebrew and English Psalter in which The
Construction of Every Word is Indicated, and the Root of Each
Distinguished by the Use of Hollow or Other Types.
I liked the little book immediately, because it is printed in a way that
clearly indicated the Hebrew roots and constructions. I knew immediately
that I'd made a good purchase.
But, it was many years before I actually put it to any regular use.
Somewhere, some time, I learned to use the Psalms as my Prayer Book. I
no longer remember when I stumbled across this technique of prayer. For
years I had found it hard to spend extended periods of time in prayer.
My mind wandered (of course). Silence was comforting to me at first.
But, the time would often pass slowly. Some days I seemed to have
nothing to say.
I began to pray the Psalms.
I would read a verse or two. I would meditate upon it. I would pray. I
would intercede for the many people on my heart. And, at the point where
I caught my mind wandering (as it so naturally does) I would come back
to the Psalm again. The process would begin again.
And, this is where my Interlinear Hebrew and English Psalter came in so
handy. It allowed me to actually meditate on the original words of the
Psalm. It forced me to slow down. It forced me to read each word. It
forced me to reconstruct the meaning of the sentences. It suggested new
possibilities of meaning that I might not have seen in translation.
And, I began to feel that my prayers were a dialogue with God. I spoke
to God. I listened for the echo of God speaking in the Psalm.
You see, I feel like I hear the Psalms in an echo chamber. I don't know
how else to describe it. It echos with the history of Israel. It echos
with the life of David, and so many ancient hopes that were pinned on
him. It echos with all the varied emotions of the human heart: joy,
laughter, sorrow, despair. it echos down through all the history of the
Christian faith, as believers have turned to these ancient songs for
guidance and inspiration. Because I see the Psalms through a
Christ-lens, they yield levels of meaning to me because I see them in
the light of a certain, particular fulfillment.
And, in that sense I'm not alone. These songs of faith and devotion,
doubt and despair, are the property of a community of faith that has
read and cherished them through ages of time.
And, here they lie in front of me. Ancient words, carefully preserved by
Masoretic scribes, who added markings so that even their accents and
pronunciations might be preserved. It's really quite amazing if you
think about it.
My God,
Thank you for the gift of the Word
and these particular words
very human and yet divine
an ancient and living part of your redemptive plan
a gift to me today.
Lord,
I do not understand
my prejudices and preconceptions run deep
I am so quick to defend my ideas
so often arrogant and fearful
(maybe they are the same thing)
I am easily distracted;
Inspire me
Teach me your ways
May your Word
find an entrance into my heart
today. Amen.
--
Craig L. Adams
COMMONPLACE HOLINESS
http://web.mac.com/craigadams1
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