BP 60 - A Psalm of Everlasting Gratefulness

O Holy Trinity…

THANK YOU for going ahead of me and for surrounding and being with me as I slept last night…

THANK YOU for coming for me, at me, and after me in my dreams…

THANK YOU for bringing me rest...  

And…

THANK YOU, too, for waking me up this morning.

I’m so very grateful for the gifts of life, light, and love, which You’ve given me and continue to do so—continually and continuously, without end. I’m so very grateful, too, for the gifts of glory, goodness, and gladness, which You’ve manifested within me and continue to do so—also continually and continuously, without end. And, further, I’m so very grateful for the gift of this brand-new day.

Enable me, O Living, Illuminating, and Loving God, to rest in You, Your healing Works, Your unfailing love, and Your loving faithfulness; and enable me, too, O Living, Illuminating, and Loving God, to let You love me in all the ways in which YOU want… and in all the ways in which only YOU can.

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Selah [from calah; suspension (of music), i.e., pause]…

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O Holy Trinity…

In my heart-mind [see Commentary below] (that is, The Eden of My Soul), I can feel you—yet again!—giving Yourself away to me. And I feel so very grateful to You and for You. Your Presence in my heart-mind, body, and personhood both settles and overwhelms me.

Commentary (about the heart and mind and what I refer to as “the heart-mind”): Throughout the Scriptures, the words “heart” and “mind,” while they’re discrete elements of the immaterial parts of us, are really so interwoven that it’s difficult to rightly separate or divide the one from the other. The way I’ve learned to distinguish them in my own life is as such: Metaphorically, my heart is the central (and centering) garden of my personhood, and my mind is the garden-soil. The garden of my heart includes soil, for without soil it would not be much of a garden. In my writings, I refer often to what I call “my heart-mind.” The heart-mind is the garden of my personhood, and, in many places, I call it The Eden of My Soul. In using the term heart-mind, I acknowledge the heart first and foremost but provide a light attentiveness to the mind-soils that reside there as well. The soil (that is, my mind) is not the garden (that is, my mind is NOT my heart). That written, the soil (that is, my mind) is a part—and, yes, it’s AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART—of the garden. My heart includes my mind, and my mind is a part of my heart. The Breath of God animates (that is, it brings life to) the garden. My “spirit” is The Breath of God that God gave me uniquely and lent to me eternally at creation. The Immaterial-material Breath of God animates my material-immaterial human soul, personifying it uniquely as a true and eternal living being. In a very real sense, it’s not I who breathes but God Who breathes me and does so eternally. In breathing me, I AM makes me to be as I am. With each breath, God utters me into continuing existence. My material breath and my immaterial breath are, metaphorically, just two sides of the very same coin, a coin that I refer to lightly as “my aliveness” or “my I-am-ness.” Just as my aliveness has a material part and an immaterial part, so, too, my heart has a material part and an immaterial part. Further, my mind, too, has a material part, which I call “my brain,” and an immaterial part, which I call “my God-and-Life-consciousness.” As a follower of Christ, my immaterial heart and mind have been circumcised of all their sick and dead parts. My immaterial heart-mind is good, noble, loving, and life-engaged. My material mind, though, which influences (and is influenced by) my physical expressions, requires constant renewal and buffeting [see Ro 12:1-2 and 1Co 9:24-27] to make it submit to my immaterial heart-mind.

In all humility and meekness, I receive and welcome You; and I consent to Your giving away to me more and more of Your Living, Illuminating, and Loving Self. I welcome, with upraised arms, Your deepening Presence in my heart-mind, body, and personhood.

I long for You, O God… just as A Thirsty One longs for water… and just as A Hungry One longs for food. I want and need You, O God! I long—day and night—for a deeper, more existential experience of You!

O God of the Universe…

If I can’t tell YOU what I want, and then ask You for it, who can I tell? Or who can I ask? As I survey the extents of my rudimentary knowledge and limited experience, I conclude—yet again—that I need not look to anything or anyone outside of You. You—and YOU ALONE—O God, hear my pleadings; and You—and YOU ALONE—O God, impart to me everything I truly need and every consolation my heart-mind truly yearns for, even before I ask for it. You know me, Lord, and You see the specifics and contexts of my needs and contingencies long before I ever become consciously aware of them. And, so, Lord… My Dearest Friend and Loved One… I look to You and, quite paradoxically, acknowledge that I feel like I’m both starving to death while, at the very same time, being filled to overflowing.

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Selah…

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O Holy Trinity…

In response to (and return for) Your giving Yourself away to me, I fall on my face before You, and I do the one and only thing and no-thing [life-giving expression, generative creation (see definition below)] I feel I can, and that’s offer You me… that is, offer You all that comprises who I am as Your Loved One and Friend.

Things and no-things, my definitions (from philosophy)…

Generally, a “thing” is that which is not a “no-thing,” and a “no-thing” is that which is “not a thing.” When we attempt to partially define something by identifying what it’s not, we’re tapping into the arena of apophatic philosophy. For example, in apophatic theology (which we see a lot in the Eastern Orthodox Church), we perceive God through negation (that is, we can begin to perceive God by identifying who or what He’s not). An example would be the following proposition: God is NOT a liar. In making such a claim, we proclaim that God is The Eternal One, Who Doesn’t Lie.

Generally, a “thing” is an inanimate object, place, situation, circumstance, condition, or scenario. A thing is an “it.” A thing has no sentience.

Generally, a “no-thing” is that which is not a thing. A no-thing (a “not-a-thing”) has animated life, and it includes all life-giving expressions and generative creations. You and I are no-things, my cat (Baby Kitty) is a no-thing, and a live oak is a no-thing. Your new nature is a no-thing. The desires, plans, and purposes of God are no-things. The computer, on which I’m writing these words, is a thing. Depending on their source (or Source!), and how you engage with them, The Words you’re reading right now could be things or no-things. In my heart, I hope and pray they’re the latter (that is, “no-things!”).

Here I am, O God, O Singular Passion of My Soul: I’M YOURS, and YOU’RE MINE, and I know deep within my soul that WE’LL LIVE THIS WAY TOGETHER FOREVER and FOR ALWAYS. Just as You’re keeping [tereo: watching over, loving, guarding, and protecting] me [see Re 3:10], I’m keeping [tereo: watching for, guarding and protecting my heart for, and responsively loving] You; and just as I’m keeping You, You’re keeping me. As lovers and friends, we’ll be together all our days; and, just as You’ve promised, those days will never end.

Thank You for all this, O God. Thank You for reaching out to me, for pursuing me, and for making all this happen.

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Selah…

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O Holy Trinity…

In this moment, I feel nothing but gratefulness… NOTHING but gratefulness…

With great affection, heartfulness, and mindfulness, I reach up and tie myself tightly into You. Seal me in You, O God, with the enrapturing flames of Your joyful Countenance, persistent lovingkindness, and unrelenting tenacity; and… as we embark together upon each moment of this day, please renew, ground, and channel—appropriately, effectively, and redemptively—my glories, freedoms, and giftings; my desires and passions; my inspired energies; and all my very natural and readily available penchants, proclivities, and propensities.

Every day I’m alive, O God, is a unique, gifted, and special day. This is because each day not only comes FROM YOU but (mysteriously and paradoxically) is a part OF YOU. You, O Living, Illuminating, and Loving God, Are The Dayspring of Not Just this Day but of All My Days!

I love You, Lord—I love You so very much, O Generator, Healer, and Sustainer of Life—and I do so with all that’s within me. BREATHE [inspire] me, HEAL me, MOVE me, and DANCE me in all the ways in which You desire… and in all the ways in which only You can. This day—THIS ETERNAL DAY—is ours, O God! May we live it—and love others in it—well together.

Again…

I THANK YOU for today… and for the eternalness of it…

I THANK YOU for going ahead of me and for being with me in it…

And…

I THANK YOU, too, for inviting me to be with You in it as Your Loved One and Friend!

In The Name of Jesus, The Lamb of God and Savior of the World, The Lion of Judah, The Supreme Master of Forces, and The Eternal Lord of War and God of Angel Armies, I ask for and declare all these things and no-things…

Amen, and AMEN!! O Living, Illuminating, and Loving God… MAY IT ALL BE SO!!