Oh, Taste and See That the Lord is Good!

This morning we awoke to 5 inches of new fluffy snow with more falling, blanketing our world in quiet clean. The wind is calm and the temperature a comfortable 29 degrees. So, we made plans to go downhill skiing tomorrow before the predicted warm-up arrives on Tuesday.

Steve and I each started skiing at the age of 4. The first time we skied together was a delight, neither of us had to wait for the other. Both of us volunteered as instructors and we traveled to the mountains as often as we could. Not being able to ski has been one of the few downsides of spending our winters in Mazatlan. There is such beauty in fresh powdery snow. The feeling of swooshing down the slopes rivals any other experience for its freedom. Just anticipating that sensation makes me smile.  Floating in the ocean, the waves rocking and suspending my body so that I am part of the vast movement is strangely a similar feeling. There is a oneness with the world, a flow that reveals my smallness in the scope of creation. The rhythmic waves and the softer sound of the sand’s movement when my ears are underwater express both the power and the gentleness of the sea.

When I was in high school my pastor at the time introduced me to a practice of biblical reflection that involved reading a text a few times and then re-writing it for myself as a prayer. He suggested starting with the psalms. It is a practice I have used for 40 years and has helped me claim the scripture for myself. Recently I discovered a wonderful book, Psalms for Praying, by Nan C. Merrill that seems to have originated in just that practice. The book is not a translation or even a paraphrase of the psalms, but a personal and evocative reworking of them for contemplation. I share with you her version of Psalm 34: 4-8.

When I searched for Love, the Beloved answered within my heart, and all my fears flew away.

Look to the Beloved, and your emptiness will be filled, your face will radiate Love.

For when you cry, the Beloved hears and comes to you, your troubles disappear.

The Beloved sends angels to those who call on Love to awaken them from their fears.

O taste and see! The Beloved is within you! Happy are all who dwell in the Beloved’s heart.

Psalms For Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness, Nan C. Merrill. (c) 1996 by Nan C. Merrill

May you open your senses to the Creator who blesses us with such majesty and wonder.