The Psalms of God's Tenderness

There are passages in scripture that give insights into the heart of God and his tender love for mankind. Some that come to mind include the covenantal stories of the Pentateuch, the book of Isaiah, The Song of Songs, and the Last Supper Discourse of John’s gospel. However, in the Book of Psalms, composed by many writers throughout a millennium of evolutionary characterizations of Yahweh, we find unique revelations of the intimate love God had for his people. I choose to use the word “tenderness” to characterize this love.

In the Old Testament we find the God of Creation, all-powerful, all-knowing, and the ultimate victor of good over evil. We also find in scripture a God portrayed as changeable, willing to give mankind a second chance, agreeable to lessen punishment, and even willing to send his son to die a shameful death on a cross.

Every human being who believes in God must, at some time, fear the judgment God will pass on our lives. There is some merit in that type of fear. It can deter us from sin. However, when approaching God in prayer, fear should never be present. Only the relationship of a child to its parent… filled with confidence that everything will be okay.

The Church has moved over time to a more compassionate treatment of some subjects found in the Psalms. The psalmist often calls for revenge and God’s destruction of his enemies. It is interesting that the Church today excludes verses or psalms from the Liturgy of the Word if they speak of vengeance.

In the following weeks, I will focus on seventeen psalms which speak dynamically and powerfully of the tenderness of God toward his faithful ones. These are prayers that Jesus no doubt prayed … which, perhaps, were his favorites, because he truly was one of us in his human nature. He, like us, needed constant intimacy with his Father. These psalms clearly provided that…and for us, in the twenty-first century, can do the same.

Those highlighted verses from the NAB follow, with meditations for each verse.

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Psalm 16

Keep me safe, O Cod; in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are my only good.

Worthless are all the false gods of the land. Accursed are all who delight in them. They multiply their sorrows who court other gods. Blood libations to them I will not pour out, nor will I take their names upon my lips.

LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you have made my destiny secure. Pleasant places were measured out for me; fair to me indeed is my inheritance.

I bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my heart exhorts me.

I keep the LORD always before me; with the Lord at my right, Ishall never be shaken.

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Keep me safe, O God; in you I take refuge.

Throughout this day, your tenderness will keep me safe. I believe it. I walk on the bridge of faith to shore of your refuge. Let me keep your presence beside me as I drive to work, as I greet those whom I meet, as I eat my dinner, as I answer the phone…

LORD, my allotted portion and my cup…

Lord, I am privileged to inherit you for all eternity. I will drink from your tenderness and love, always satisfied, but ever thirsting for more of you. I pray that you, whose presence is everywhere, will today open the eyes of the spiritually blind to see the chalice of your infinite love, filled with drink that will satisfy.

I bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my heart exhortsme.

You have given your Holy Spirit to guide me today… not just in the momentous decisions of life, but in the hour to hour thread of my existence. I stand ignorant of the future. I know not what lies ahead this next sixty minutes. I don’t even know what is being said about me in the next room. I see what is in front of me, but know not what is behind me, above me, or below me. It’s amazing that we live on a planet, a ball in your infinite universe, and yet how many of us know what lies 10 feet, 100 feet, a 100 miles, a 1000 miles below us. How ignorant man is! I lie awake at night worrying about tomorrow. Why? You are always there to guide me, day or night.

I keep the LORD always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.

What is my mental picture of the Lord? How do I visualize a spirit? We in the Christian era have the advantage of knowing the Lord who took on a human form. We can picture him as a shepherd, a teacher, a healer, or even as a man in a business suit or jeans. Visualization of the Lord in his human form is an important spiritual exercise to keep the Lord “always before me.” Picture him “at your right” in your automobile or on the bus. Talk with him, out loud, if possible. Share with him your grocery list, your friend’s problem, your marriage. Pour out your heart to him, right there in your car or in the empty seat next to you in the ballpark. If you do that habitually, you will never be shaken by what life throws at you.

(To be continued from my book, Psalms of God’s Tenderness, ISBN-13: 978-1420821253)