IN THIS EPISODE
Minisode: Psalm 4, Night Prayer
This version of Psalm 4:2-5, 9 is part of the “compline” or night prayers at the Abbey of Gethsemani where the psalms are sung by the monks. It is the Grail translation, available in The Psalms: A New Translation: Singing Version, by Paulist Press. Date recorded: February 25, 2019
WRITING PROMPT Having a book of psalms near your bedside is a good idea if you suffer from insomnia or just wake sometimes in the night bothered by concerns in your life.
Psalm 4 reminds us that God has helped us in the past, “from anger you have released me,” and will again: “The Lord hears me when I call him.” Rather than lingering on a current concern or need, take a moment to recall a problem in your past that you struggled to solve. Consider how that problem seemed insurmountable at the time, but think about how you did in fact persevere. Write about how that solution came about through a combination of your own efforts, those of others, and most of all with God’s grace. End your journal entry with the knowledge that God will again help you dwell in safety: “Jesus I trust in you.”