Dear Human is a Verb Community—
My favorite lines from this week’s song, Still Walking, inspired by Psalm 121 is: Not safe from hurt, not spared from loss. But held through what we face. If evil comes, it won’t have us. You keep us in Your grace.
Despite what happens, whether you can walk, crawl, or neither, God is keeping us in his beloved embrace. I know I needed to hear that this week!
I hope this episode helps you continue to receive God’s embrace no matter how it finds you!
If you’ve missed a prayer practice in this series, you can access the first two here:
Episode 1, February 11- Soften me, Oh God: Psalm 51
Episode 2: February 18 - Hiding Place, Psalm 32
And this is where we are going:
Episode 4: March 4 - Drop Everything and Listen; Psalm 95
Episode 5: March 11 - You Might Be Real; Psalm 23
Episode 6: March 18 - Wait for Morning; Psalm 130
Episode 7: March 25 - God Still Lives; Psalm 118
Peace,
Julene
Welcome
Welcome to Human Is a Verb, a podcast about practicing the sacred work of being human. I’m your host, Julene Tegerstrand. I’m a spiritual director and the co-founder of Everyday Peacemaking.
This is the third episode in a seven-part mini-series called Praying with Scripture & Song.
Today we are praying with Psalm 121, and listening with a practice of Lectio Divina.
A word about Lectio Divina
Many of us read Scripture the way we read everything else. We read for information. We read to analyze. We read to extract something useful.
Lectio Divina invites a different stance. We read for formation. We do not master the text. We let the text read us.
A twelfth-century Cistercian, William of St. Thierry, suggested that to truly understand a text, we approach the author with the openness of friendship. No friendship is possible without listening. And listening means we let the other be distinct from our projections and expectations.
In Lectio Divina, we move from reading with our eyes to listening with what the tradition calls the “ear of the heart.” We stop trying to force the text to say what we want it to say. Instead, we approach the Word like a person: receptive, willing to be changed, open to the possibility that the Spirit of God has a word for us today.
Settle in: Five breaths
To begin, we’ll do a short breath practice. Five breaths, just enough to help your nervous system settle so you can listen.
Notice what is holding you.Feel the support beneath you.Notice your feet where they are resting.
Let your eyes be soft. Relax your temples.
Now we’ll breathe five breaths. I’ll count to four on the inhale and six on the exhale. That longer exhale is a small signal to your nervous system that we are okay now. We can rest.
Let’s begin.
Inhale… two, three, four.Exhale… two, three, four, five, six.
Inhale… two, three, four.Exhale… two, three, four, five, six.
Inhale… two, three, four.Exhale… two, three, four, five, six.
Inhale… two, three, four.Exhale… two, three, four, five, six.
Inhale… two, three, four.Exhale… two, three, four, five, six.
Now let your breathing return to its natural rhythm.
Psalm 121 as a song for “on the way”
Psalm 121 is a psalm that was sung on the way. Think of pilgrimage. Think of the people of God traveling to Jerusalem.
First reading: Listen for the shimmering word
I’m going to read Psalm 121 slowly.
Your job is simple. Listen for a word or phrase that shimmers. Something that catches your attention, even just a little. You do not have to figure out why. Just notice it. Name it quietly in your mind.
After I read the psalm, I’ll pause.
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills.From where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved.He who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper.The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil.He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming infrom this time on and forevermore.
Second reading: Let the word meet your real life
I’ll read the psalm again.
This time, let your word or phrase interact with what is happening in your real life. Your responsibilities. Your stress. The thing you are carrying.
We are not trying to solve anything. We are simply placing our lives before God, where God might be meeting us.
Psalm 121 (again)
Respond in prayer: Name one burden
Take your word or phrase, and let it guide you into prayer.
You might pray something like:“Lord, I’m tired of being the one who never sleeps.”Or, “Be my shade in this heated conflict.”
If it helps, name one specific burden you want to bring before God right now.
Rest in God’s presence
Now the invitation is to rest. In this part of Lectio Divina, we do not need many words. We give ourselves permission to be. So much of life is doing. Even ministry can become constant doing. This is your invitation to be.
Let your body rest in the presence of the One who keeps you. Let go of your need to fix anything in this moment. If your mind wanders, that’s okay. Just return to your word or phrase like a handrail. Return, and rest.
Next is a song created based on Psalm 121.
As you listen, notice if there is a line that resonates with you. If so, let it accompany you for the rest of the day.
Closing prayer
God who does not sleep, God who stays, thank you for meeting us on the road, in the part of life that feels unfinished, and in the stretch where trust has to become daily bread.
For the ones listening who feel brave, keep them humble and steady.For the ones who feel tired, give the mercy of one more step.For the ones who feel afraid, be their shade, their keeper, and their hiding place.
When our footing feels unsure, hold us.When the night feels long, stay awake with us.When evil brushes near, keep us in your grace.
Bless our going out and our coming in.Bless our work and our rest.Bless our speaking and our silence.
And as we return to the rest of this day, send us with this simple truth in our bones:
We are still walking, and you are still here.
Amen.
Thanks, credits, and how to support
Thank you for listening to Human Is a Verb and for taking the time to pray.
Most of the music you heard today was created using Suno. You can find a link to the song “Still Walking” on my Substack at humanisaverb.substack.com, and it will also be in the show notes.
And before you go, a quick note about how this project stays alive. If Human Is a Verb has been a small refuge in your week, I’d love to invite you to become a paid subscriber. A monthly subscription is about the cost of a couple of coffees. A yearly subscription is $70. Your support genuinely encourages me and helps me keep creating prayer practices like this.
In the next episode of Praying with Scripture & Song, we’ll be praying with Psalm 95, with an accompanying song. I hope you’ll come and pray with us.
May you continue to live and pray and breathe in such a way that you grow into your true humanity. I look forward to praying with you again.
Link to the song, Still Walking.
