“God is a God of life. Our theology is a theology of life.” I heard these statements more times than I could count in the time I served as a mission co-worker in El Salvador. Bishop Gomez would remind the church in times of challenge, when a big decision needed to be made, and each Sunday in worship: “Whatever is for life, this is the path we must follow.” Last week, we heard a passage about Jesus healing on a Sabbath day based on this same premise. Whatever is for life comes from God.
With many things to capture our thoughts, worries, and concerns, we can become distraught at many things that act opposed to life in our world. We can lose sight of that which brings life, including for ourselves. If, as we said on Sunday, our healing and transformation is the start of healing and transformation for others and the world around us, we can deem our own lives as valuable and worthy of care.
I offer one small, yet significant, way to seek that care through a simple and prayerful meditation. It is a prayer I learned from a spiritual director years ago and that we have used in several settings before. Included here are a written guide to the prayer and a video guide I accessed on the Gravity webpage (Gravity: a center for contemplative activism—gravitycenter.com)
Be still and know that I am God…
Be still and know that I am…
Be still and know…
Be still…
Be…
1) Find a quiet place, gently close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Prepare to pray the Psalm in five consecutively diminishing sentences.
2) Either aloud or quietly to yourself, say the words, “Be still and know that I am God.”
3) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be still and know that I am.”
4) After a couple deep breaths, pray “Be still and know.”
5) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be still.”
6) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be.”
7) When ready, pray, “Amen.”
Blessings,