Read the Psalm

Once again, as the people of God walked toward Jerusalem, their prayers centered around sorrow and joy. This is certainly way of Jesus. The classic hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, paints this picture beautifully: 

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

This is the road Jesus walked, and we are invited to walk in His steps: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) His steps are a story of death, burial, and resurrection.

Kevin O’Brien, SJ, writes: “The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ are different movements of the same symphony of God’s extravagant love for us.” This love for us offers entrance into a new life of relationship with Christ as well as the model for a way of life.

So, as Psalm 126 begins, the psalmist affirms that Zion has experienced a restoration, or we might say … resurrection. And, this was a like a dream that led to laughter and shouts of joy. Dreams are often shrugged off as not being real or things that are too good to be true. Imagine something like this being said: “This seems unreal, unbelievable, too good to be true … except that it is real and true.” All of this followed by joyful laughter and shouts of “yes, hallelujah!”

They had seen it with their own eyes and the nations around them could see it as well. This formed the basis for asking God to restore them again. Restoration and the hope for restoration are rooted in the story and pattern of what God does. In verse 4, the prayer shifts to praying for restoration as a part of the unfolding of the story God is always telling. They prayed for what they knew was coming. The what, when, where, how, and who of the story was certainly mysterious to them, but they trusted there was an unfolding story.

The words “like streams in the Negeb” (vs. 4) connect us with other images found all over the Scriptures in which water (life, healing) is brought to a dry land. (Isaiah 35:6; Jeremiah 31:9) There is hope because God is always telling that story. No matter how dark it looks, there is a sunrise coming. “Tears may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) All of nature and even the cycle of the seasons tell this story as well. God embedded His story of death, burial, and resurrection into His creation so that we would have a visual and a tangible way to grasp this reality.

In this Gospels, Jesus shares this story of life, death, and resurrection in John 12:24-25:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

So, this story or narrative is the invitation of our lives! It leads us to ask the questions: am I fighting this story of death and resurrection (loving my life; i.e., holding on to my life) or am I embracing it (hating my life; i.e., releasing my life)? If we embrace it, we are trusting that there is an unfolding story that God is telling which leads us to follow in Jesus’ steps. If we fight it, it means that we are adopting a different story that we believe will give lead to life.

The alternative stories we embrace may have been shaped over the years by our family of origin, the culture around us, or hurts and disappointments. Some of these stories may include: I am what I do so I have to work hard to prove myself; I am what I have so I will amass much in order to protect myself; or I am what I others think of me so I do what it takes to be pleasing to others. 

Can you see yourself in any of these alternative stories about who you are? What would it feel like to say: I am one who follows the way of Jesus into death?

James 1 reminds us to “consider it joy” when we encounter trials because we know fruit will come of it. We know that resurrection and restoration is always part of the unfolding story. So, perhaps, we might be moved to laughter the next time we encounter some kind of death to self or a loss and say: “of course, this is the way! And, I trust it.” As we place ourselves in this story of death to resurrection, our afflictive emotions are transformed to joy.

Reflection questions: What story do you need to release? In your current circumstances, what might it look like to trust that God has a story that is unfolding?

Prayer: Lord, may I see my life through the lens of THE story – death, burial, and resurrection. Give me the courage and strength to let things die and trust you in the waiting for resurrection. Amen.

“We’re all just walking each other home.” Rumi

Share with at least one other person what has been shaped in you as you begin this journey. Share your desires for the journey and what you are noticing about yourself in relation to God’s presence with you.

If meeting with a group, walk through some of the reflection questions and share together. What is your prayer/desire that you might hold before God after these first days of Walking Home? Share with the group and pray for one another. 

Take a walk with God and use your imagination to envision the reality that God is with you. Reflect on your gratefulness for the previous week as well as your desires for the coming week. Express those reflections to God in prayer or simply walk in silence, knowing that He is present and aware of all your reflections. 

Take some prayerful time today to review the week and savor the goodness and grace of God with you. Engage the following questions as an examen for the week. In addition, engage in a creative exercise: write a poem, paint a picture, plant a flower, stack some stones, etc.

The examen each week will center around discernment, desire, and dwelling. 

• Do I have a sense of where I am? Or what is the state of my soul? (discernment) This question is important so that we are meeting God where we are and not where we’d like to be or think we should be. 
  • What do I want? (desire) We examine our desires because desire is the foundation for a life of seeking God’s heart. We may have desires we do not want or desires that are less than a desire for God, but we ask this question to notice how our desires are being shaped, reshaped, and deepened. 
  • How is God loving you? (dwelling) In the house of the Lord (which is prayer), we experience God’s love. Noticing the ways God is loving us deepens our awareness of and connection to dwelling (abiding) in God’s loving presence. 

Take some time with each of these questions … perhaps journaling your responses. Slow down and notice.

Where am I? (the discipline of discernment) 

What do I want? (the discipline of desire) 

How is God loving you? (the discipline of dwelling)

Prayer: Lord, thank You for walking with me as I walk home. In your mercy, give me the strength to live in my identity as the mountain and not the weather. Amen.

Creative Exercise … engage in something that gives expression to your experience this week. Consider sharing this with someone, or keep it between you and the Lord.

Read the Psalm

As we have seen, there will be moments on the journey when we experience hard things. Specifically, injustice can weigh heavy on the soul. In the words of the psalmist, we may experience the “scepter of wickedness” and those who are “crooked” in their ways.

The scepter of wickedness contains the idea that there will be rulers and institutions which embrace injustice, and the phrase “those who turn aside to crooked ways” speaks more to those individuals who have embraced deceit and manipulation as their way. Whether it is larger scale societal injustice or the more personal injustices we face, our hearts cry out to the Lord to make things right. 

There are days when God’s strength and power don’t seem to be ruling the day. Darkness and evil seem stronger. Again, we are reminded to not lose heart because there is more going on than we can see. Martin Luther King, Jr. poignantly remarked that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This is an incredibly hopeful assessment and it is rooted in reality. Justice usually does not happen overnight, and there is a just God who has fashioned and rules the universe. 

When encountering injustice, it is vital that we trust God’s powerful presence and act from that place of trust. If we don’t, it is possible that we move into vigilantism, taking matters into our own hands, or we sit on our hands, doing nothing from a place of hopelessness.

The prophet Micah spoke against the injustices of the people of Israel (corrupt leadership as well as oppression of the poor and vulnerable) and proclaimed that God would right all the wrongs. It was in this context that Micah uttered the familiar words: 

“He has told you, O man, what is good;

         and what does the LORD require of you

         but to do justice, and to love kindness,

         and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

In the midst of injustice, we are invited to justice and kindness. The word kindness is often translated as mercy. Justice and mercy are two sides of responding to injustice. Justice is what we pray for those who perpetuate corruption and oppression. Mercy is what we pray for those who receive the oppression. When encountering injustice, it can be difficult to know what is required. Is it mercy or justice? The last part of the verse gives us the way: walk humbly with your God. 

Injustice can leave us confused, anxious, and hurting. It is a humble posture before God that leads us to prayer and dependence upon Him. God invites us to reach out to Him as the One who can and will bring justice. He is the One who brings mercy. Praying for justice, an incredibly trusting act, keeps our hearts centered on the true source of all justice. 

The goal of contemplation (resting in His presence and trusting in His goodness) is to be aware of the injustices without taking it in and letting it define the core of who we are. From that rooted, surrounded place, we can respond in love even as we pray for justice.

Reflection questions: do you see injustice in your life? In the world around you? How do you tend to react – confusing, anxiety, pain? What would it look like for you to respond in prayer?

Prayer: Lord, as I look at the injustices in the world around me, center my heart in You so that I stay in a prayerful place. Then, may all my actions be responses to Your love. Amen.

Read the Psalm

The One who created heaven and earth dwells with us and within us. The imagery in Psalm 125 suggests that He also surrounds us, just “as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore.” (vs. 2) As vulnerability may arise from the openness of heart and surrender of will that comes from identifying as God’s temple, God reminds us that He is protecting us. In the mountains, His strength and power are on display. The mountains are a visual picture of the safety and security the Lord offers us as we journey with Him. Our hearts might return to the prayer of Psalm 121 and vision of God as One who keeps us and guards our way.

We need to know and experience this safety and security because our tender souls ask questions like: “Can I really open up? Can I really let down my guard? Am I safe?” As we look at the mountains, our hearts respond with: “Perhaps I can open up. Maybe I am safe.”

As we walk toward home, God is saying, “I’ve got you. You are safe and secure because I’ve given you everything you need. You can rest. You can let the tension release in your body. You can let the worries on your mind drop away. You can let the desires of your heart settle into my care. Truly, I’ve got you.”

How is it that God protects us and keeps us safe and secure? It is His love. Because He is always loving us (He never stops, slows down, or pauses His active love in our lives), we can know that no harm can ultimately befall us. We will experience hard things, but they won’t defeat us. In the New Testament Scriptures, Paul writes that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.” 

Consider the full context of what 2 Corinthians 4 offers:

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.” (verses 6–10)

How do we know it is His love that protects and sustains us? We might simply go further in 2 Corinthians and be reminder of God’s statement to Paul, “My grace is sufficient.” (12:9)

Our inclination when encountering the injustices and uncertainties of the world is to react. Our reactive states often flow from a place of insecurity. As we come to a place of rest, trusting God’s power and strength in our lives, we are able to move into a place of responsiveness. Reactivity is mindless, quick, and does not flow from prayer. Responsiveness, on the other hand, is mindful, slow, and flows from prayer.

The stillness of heart that comes from being still/contemplating ourselves with God as Mount Zion flows into a watchfulness in which we are not reacting but responding to both our interior world and the exterior world around us.

When we see things through the lens of God’s love which is seen in His power, presence, and protection, we respond by asking different questions. Our questions move from “what if?”, “why?”, “how long?”, and “will I make it?” to … “isn’t that interesting?”, “how God will be present with me?”, and “how is God loving me right now?”

Certainly, the first set of question are appropriate and invited in prayerful lament, but they get transformed over time as we patiently watch God’s hand at work. And, so we are able to move into a space where we filter all things through the love and safety of God’s presence with us. This is exactly what we see in 2 Corinthians 4:16–17:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

Reflection questions: in what situations do you tend to “lose heart?” How does knowing the Lord’s love and protection lead you to courage? What helps you appreciate and see God’s loving, powerful presence with you?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for surrounding me with Your love which protects and provides for me. Give me eyes to see the mountains that surround. May I see You everywhere I look. Amen.

Read the Psalm

Building upon the theme of trust in Psalm 124, this psalm turns to a prayer describing the life that flows from trust. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.” God Himself is the foundation of our trust, our confidence … our security. As one is secure in God’s presence and activity in their life, they become like a mountain.

Mount Zion was the most holy, significant place for those walking toward Jerusalem. It was iconic and at the center of all their hopes and dreams. Mount Zion represented the presence of God, and it also contained the temple which was a “house of prayer for all peoples.” Psalm 87:1-3 declares, “On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.”

A life of trusting the Lord (Yahweh) makes us like this holy mountain. Trust transports us to center of God’s life and presence in this world. As we trust and rest in His goodness and grace, our hearts are opened to know and experience His presence. For the first pilgrims who sang this psalm, it would have been a profound, humbling thing to say … “those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.” Mount Zion? That place where God’s glory dwells. Yes. When we trust, we are like that … a place where God’s glory dwells.

This is who we are. Whether we are trusting or not, in Christ we are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in us. (2 Corinthians 3:16) Again, this is an incredibly humbling reality. The glory and presence of God dwells within us. The challenge is the question that the Apostle Paul asked both in 2 Corinthians 3 as well as in chapter 6: “do you not know?” that you are God’s temple and your body is temple of the Holy Spirit? This illustrates that possibility that we may live in ignorance of this profound reality. 

Our identity is as solid as a mountain. To live in the awareness of this reality is to “not be moved but abide forever.” This identity is not something that needs to be acquired, but realized. We are in union with God and His dwelling place is us! In one of his books on contemplation, Martin Laird shares a helpful analogy based on this first verse of Psalm 125. He writes:

“The marvelous world of thoughts, sensation, emotions, and inspiration, the spectacular world of creation around us, are all patterns of stunning weather on the holy mountain of God. But we are not the weather. We are the mountain. Weather is happening – delightful sunshine, dull sky, or destructive storm – this is undeniable. But if we think we are the weather happening on Mount Zion, then the fundamental truth of our union with God remains obscured and our sense of painful alienation heightened.”

We are the mountain, not the weather. And there is always weather happening. In Psalm 125, it is the weather of injustice. We’ll reflect on that in a few days. Our temptation is to identify with our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and the circumstances around us. 

Laird goes on to suggest that “there are two contemplative practices of fundamental importance in the Christian tradition: the practice of stillness (also called meditation, still prayer, contemplative prayer, etc.) and the practice of watchfulness or awareness.” As we move into the prayer of stillness, we are able to see that we are the dwelling place of God … we are the mountain. The storms may rage but we experience a grounding and foundation in our identity in God’s presence. We’ll reflect on the second practice tomorrow but the invitation today is to stillness, to quiet.

Psalm 46:10 encourages: “Be still, and know that I am God.” There is something significant about stillness and its ability to lead us through the mental and emotional clutter into a deep sense of knowingness. In Psalm 46, wars were raging and mountains seemed to be melting into the sea, but a response of stillness led to an experience of God in the midst of it all. Contemplative prayer is simply sitting quietly in God’s presence. 

Reflection questions: Spend some time in quiet and stillness before God. As the weather approaches, let it pass by and see yourself at one with the mountain which is God’s presence. You may not find this easy (most of us don’t) but seek “being still” for even a moment that you might see God. Ask God for help. Come back again and again to this simple practice.

Prayer: Lord, I want to live as the mountain. Give me the strength and help to let the weather pass by so that I find my identity in our relationship. Amen. 

Read the Psalm 

As we utilize a prayer tool like the Examen, we are reminded that the Lord is involved in our lives. He is present and at work in all things. However, it is vital to also remember that He does not prevent all suffering. Indeed, God does not protect us from all harm that could happen to us but this often leaves us with the question: why? Why doesn’t He prevent harm? Or, why me? There are no answers that our human, finite minds find satisfactory. We may want answers but instead we are invited to trust in the name of the Lord. The last line of this prayer (after all has been said) is: “Our help is in the name of the Lord.” Mercy, aid, compassion is in His name. 

“In His name” is a simple phrase that points us to God Himself. One’s name is their character, the essence of who they are. Pointing our hearts toward God’s name is to look to Him for solace – not an answer that may be satisfactory intellectually. It is in looking squarely at Him (His name/character) that our hearts release the need for logical answers and find instead answers that are about relationship and love. God, who is love and who leads us into love, has reasons for why He does not prevent all suffering, and it is connected in some way to love.

In the moment, those connections are not usually obvious but upon reflection, we can often see how God was loving us and walking with us in the most difficult seasons. Author and teacher James Finley made the observation that “God does not protect us from everything, but sustains us in all things.”

We are sustained by His goodness, grace, and love.

We also find ourselves repeatedly in difficulties.

There is a tension between those two realities. And, if we hold that tension, we discover an invitation. It is the invitation to love and a deepening intimacy with God. For some reason, only sufferings seem to push us there. The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote the following which expresses this tension beautifully:

I am the stillness between two notes 

That don’t easily harmonize

Because the note death wants to lift herself up

But in the dark interval both come

Trembling to join as one … 

… and the song remains beautiful.

As we move into the stillness of holding the tension between those two notes (or, realities), we find that beautiful song. It is the chorus of the song that is Psalm 124: “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side.” That note death would have crushed us if not for God walking with us and giving sustaining us step by step. 

As we experience the sufferings of life (people rising up against us, anger kindled against us), we are invited to notice His sustaining presence … to see the ways that He is walking with us in real time. 

Encountering suffering with the Lord by our side leads us a place of wonder and awe. We don’t have answers but we do have a sense of the holy and that there are things far beyond us. There are two places in the Scriptures where we find the words “things too wonderful for me” and both places speak of experiencing a God that is beyond our imagination or even intellectual capability. First, in Psalm 139, after reflecting on the God who knows all things and that we are always in His presence, the psalmist cries out that these are things “too wonderful for me.” Second, in the book of Job, after Job is humbled by God as he tried so hard to make sense of His suffering, Job cried out to God: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (42:3)

In the end, we are left with a holy mystery and once again in a place of trusting dependence upon the name of the Lord (the essence of who He is). We rest in the beautiful song: “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side” and this song becomes an anthem or chorus to which our heart returns as we encounter that tension that is part of the human condition.

Reflection questions: How do you see the sustaining presence of God in your life? What is it like for you to hold the tension between God’s presence and life’s sufferings? 

Prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see Your sustaining presence in my life. In Your mercy, may I rest in that beautiful song. Amen.

Read the Psalm

As we pray Psalms 124-125, we are reminded that we have a companion walking with us as we orient ourselves toward home. God is our home as well as our companion on the way. Referencing Joshua 1 as well as Psalm 27, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that God “has said, ‘I will never leave you not forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

It is quite a comforting truth to be able to say that the Lord never leaves us or forsakes. However, that truth can simply stay in our minds and not reach into all of who we are, including body, heart, and spirit. For this beautiful truth to have the impact of being able to say “what can man do to me?”, specificity is required. If His presence and companioning in our lives stays abstract, it never becomes dynamic and life giving.

In the 16^th century, Ignatius of Loyola formalized a prayer called the Examen that is very reminiscent of what we see in Psalm 124. In this psalm, the prayer is a recounting of how the Lord had walked with them. The Examen has often been described as a prayerful review of our life, noticing how God has been with us. In prayer, we are encouraged to notice areas of consolation (in which we were aware of and responsive to His presence in the moment) as well as desolation (in which we did not have awareness and lived with either distraction or resistance).

As we engage in a prayer of examen, we sharpen our sense of God’s presence in the past in ways that have ramifications for how we live in awareness in the future. In encouraging the people of God toward maturity in Christ, the writer of Hebrews suggests that “solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (5:14) What is good and evil? Good, as described in Hebrews, is awareness of God’s voice and responding to His voice. (Hebrews 3:7-8, 15; 4:7) Evil, then, would be to ignore God – to resist His presence and love in our lives.

Psalm 124 recounts difficult circumstances in which the people could have been “swallowed up” or could have been “swept away” by a flood. Even so, this prayer expresses an awareness of God in those hard places: “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side …” The psalmist isn’t saying that the Lord is on one side or another like in a sporting event but that the Lord was present with them, companioning them. God did not take away the difficulty but did give a way of escape.

This is the beauty of the Examen: we see the ways that mercy or “help” (124:8) is in the name of the Lord. He is present. He is loving us, even in the dark moments. Our ability to see and respond in trust is enhanced by a prayerful review of our day, or any period of time. As we review that previous day or period of time in prayer, God redeems our day in a sense. In His mercy, He helps us see how he was with us all along. This further trains our discernment to distinguish His voice in the coming days.

Songwriter Rich Mullins sang these lyrics (“I See You”):

Lord, You’re leading me      With a cloud by day 
And then in the night      The glow of a burning flame 

And everywhere I go, I see You      And everywhere I go, I see You 
And You take my hand       And You wash it clean 
I know the promised land       Is light years ahead of me

And everywhere I go, I see You      And everywhere I go, I see You

May that be increasingly our reality … that we see Him everywhere we go. May we see the humble God of the universe who does not force Himself on His creation or sing His own praises. May we see Him as He companions us day by day as we pilgrimage toward home.

Reflection questions: take a few moments today and engage in a prayerful review of the last day. Where did you see God’s presence? Where did you miss it? How did you respond in the moment? Is there anything to confess in terms of resistance? How are you looking ahead to the coming day?

Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy, may we see You everywhere we go. Thank You for companioning us on the way. Amen.

“We’re all just walking each other home.” Rumi

Share with at least one other person what has been shaped in you as you begin this journey. Share your desires for the journey and what you are noticing about yourself in relation to God’s presence with you.

If meeting with a group, walk through some of the reflection questions and share together. What is your prayer/desire that you might hold before God after these first days of Walking Home? Share with the group and pray for one another. 

Take a walk with God and use your imagination to envision the reality that God is with you. Reflect on your gratefulness for the previous week as well as your desires for the coming week. Express those reflections to God in prayer or simply walk in silence, knowing that He is present and aware of all your reflections. 

Take some prayerful time today to review the week and savor the goodness and grace of God with you. Engage the following questions as an examen for the week. In addition, engage in a creative exercise: write a poem, paint a picture, plant a flower, stack some stones, etc.

The examen each week will center around discernment, desire, and dwelling. 

• Do I have a sense of where I am? Or what is the state of my soul? (discernment) This question is important so that we are meeting God where we are and not where we’d like to be or think we should be. 
  • What do I want? (desire) We examine our desires because desire is the foundation for a life of seeking God’s heart. We may have desires we do not want or desires that are less than a desire for God, but we ask this question to notice how our desires are being shaped, reshaped, and deepened. 
  • How is God loving you? (dwelling) In the house of the Lord (which is prayer), we experience God’s love. Noticing the ways God is loving us deepens our awareness of and connection to dwelling (abiding) in God’s loving presence. 

Take some time with each of these questions … perhaps journaling your responses. Slow down and notice.

Where am I? (the discipline of discernment) 

What do I want? (the discipline of desire) 

How is God loving you? (the discipline of dwelling)

Prayer: Lord, may I deep in practices that help me stay present and aware of You. In your mercy, may I see the ways You are at work in me and the world around me … responding with love and trust. Amen.

 Creative Exercise … engage in something that gives expression to your experience this week. Consider sharing this with someone, or keep it between you and the Lord.