“I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
... Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
... God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.”
Psalm 62:1–2, 5–6, 11–12a
Sometimes after leaving a friend’s house, we feel satisfied and fulfilled not only by our warm interaction but also because we have such a friend. In the same way, reading, reflecting, and responding in prayer often closes with contemplation (contemplatio, the last phase of lectio divina).
This may take a variety of forms. We may soak in what has gone on between God and ourselves. Or we rest in what God has said. Or we may simply “sit” with God the way you enjoy sitting beside someone you love. (I often return to the park bench picture of sitting next to Jesus where I began in silence.)
Contemplation often resembles the biblical idea of “waiting on God.” In Scripture waiting isn’t an impatient, irritating frame of mind. It most often appears with the word “hope” (v. 5). So waiting on God is expectant and alert, like lingering because you expect someone you love will be home soon.
At other times contemplation may be more energetic, sort of a delighting in God as the psalmist says. You may have absorbed such a generous, self-giving vision of God that you nod in delight and do a mental “high-five” interaction with God. Isn’t it great that God is like this? This gladness may even develop into worship, which is yet another form of contemplation. You can sing or, if no one’s watching, break out into a dance step or two!
Reflect:
Read Psalm 62:1–2, 5-6, 11–12a. Where in your life do you need reassurance that God steadies us as our rock to the point that absolutely nothing can shake us?
Pray:
Talk to God about how waiting expectantly and hoping confidently equips you for the day ahead. Drop your shoulders and look up. If you wish, raise your hands and grin.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
A Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.العربيةFrançais
Helping marine biodiversity flourish is a means of participating in God’s work, says an Indonesian theologian.
