Each Sunday the set readings include a Psalm or verses from a Psalm (the whole of Psalm 119 might take a little long to read, pity the reader!) Opening ourselves to these vibrant words suggests that in our conversations with God, nothing is off-limits.  We know only too well the language of description and motivation.  So argues Eugene H Peterson in his gem, ‘Answering God: the Psalms as tools for prayer’.  He goes on to suggest that, however, we know too little of the language of intimacy.  He suggests that this language is most necessary to our humanity.  Expressing ourselves intimately when engaged in conversation with God.

This language opens up for us our capacity to express and develop our human condition.  It includes those words and phrases which express our raw emotions.  Words which whisper an incredible personal  intimacy and relationship.  Words which explode with anger and distrust in a diatribe against the same Lover of our souls.

This language of intimacy is a key component of the Psalm.  Therefore we do well to regularly pray aloud this collection of ancient prayers.

Here we engage ourselves, not merely with the words of ancients addressed to God, but also with the God who has transformed these human words so they contain the Divine for us.

Pray without ceasing.                                                     Louis van Laar