Faith in a Time of Pandemic – The Lord is my Shepherd

LXXVI.
The Lord is My Shepherd
(6/11)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…God restores my soul

(Psalm 23:1, 3; read Psalm 23 in its entirety)

Each weekday morning our Zoom Morning Prayer Service reads Psalm 23 as its anchor scripture. Psalm 23 grounds the service and gives context for the gospel of the day. Psalm 23 is a powerful witness because it recognizes that God is present in the darkness as well as light. In times of protest and pandemic, Psalm 23 grounds us in God’s faithfulness as well as God’s inspiration to play our part in healing the world.

Today, I am pondering the passage “God restores my soul.” We need soul restoration. Though we may be privileged, we are weary. We are troubled by the news cycle, the mounting death toll, lack of leadership, failure of the nation to unite in time of threat, and rise in racism especially toward persons of color (African Americans and Asians, in particular). Our souls are weary and need restoration.

In this time of disorientation, we can succumb to soul fatigue, anger, impatience, unkindness, and alienation. We need nourishment. We need to breathe deeply the oxygen of redemption, the wind of transformation. We need spiritual resuscitation.

Restoration comes as a grace. But, we need to be willing to accept it. Spiritual recovery comes when we deepen our spiritual lives, committing ourselves to practices such as:
+ gratitude
+ silent prayer
+ praying for others
+ devotional reading
+ deep breathing of the spirit
+ commitment to respond to the pain of others in ways appropriate to our current situation

Take time to day to awaken to restoration, to new orientation, by breathing deeply God’s Spirit, letting it fill your cells and your soul, and then exhaling your stress, impatience, weariness. Let God give you spiritual resuscitation with each breath. Perhaps you might say:

I breathe the Spirit deeply in
And blow it lovingly out again.
Let God breathe in and through you reviving, restoring, transforming, energizing, and illuminating. Restoration leads to strength and action, to going beyond fear to focus on God’s call in our lives.
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Breathe on me, breath of God, fill me with live anew. That I might share this blessing with others. Amen.