March 8: A Prayer in Times of Chastening
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♫ Music:
Day 7 - Tuesday, March 8
Title: A PRAYER IN TIMES OF CHASTENING
Scripture: Psalm 38
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.
There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.
I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.
But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.
For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”
For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Poetry:
["Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?"]
by John Donne
Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh.
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour I can myself sustain;
Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart.
A PRAYER IN TIMES OF CHASTENING
It is not uncommon for people of faith to ask Why? when they experience suffering. Even in asking the question people might fear the reason for the pain even more than the possibility of its randomness.
But seeking a reason for suffering is really to ask about its purpose. Sickness and injury have their own reasons—a virus, an infection, a genetic disposition to disease, an automobile accident, a faulty ladder. What often concerns people is the possible purpose that such suffering serves. And to discern that purpose, they turn to God, who may indeed have purposes of his own.
Psalm 38 would have easily echoed the voice of King David as he endured suffering from the loss of his child and the assault by his enemies. Like many in ancient Israel, this suffering would be seen as a form of punishment inflicted by God on one who had sinned. Certainly, David would have reason to believe that such pain would be deserved, given his past actions. In his penitential cries, David stands with the friends of Job who were certain about God’s purposes and the reasons that suffering comes upon human beings, even those who seem to be righteous. Job, of course, would be the lone voice insisting on a different interpretation.
Like Job, however, this Psalm of David does not leave the sufferer in a place of hopelessness. The cry that comes to God is one of hope, that this God is the One to be trusted to bring vindication and relief. A person might be alone in pain, with flesh agonized by disease and a future that seems to be in the hands of enemies, but hope is still the response as the sufferer lays bare all of his misery to the God who already knows about the pain.
Recognizing that pain and suffering are part of human life does not usually bring us comfort. As depicted in Karen Schmidt’s sculpture Bound, and Allison Evonne Streett’s work Loss, suffering lays a person out, immobilized and vulnerable, mired in grief, and unable to halt the unceasing pain. Suffering always has its own form of physicality, even when the suffering resides only in the mind.
Jesus’ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest was not yet a suffering of the body. The anticipation of what was to come brought a torment into his mind that could only be laid out before his Father. He did not come to prayer with passive acceptance of his impending death. He sought for a rescue, as most sufferers would do. But in the end, after offering his anxieties to the One who knew him best, he embraced his Father’s will.
Our Scriptures give us more than just examples of how people have wrestled with God in times of pain; we are also given permission––permission to struggle with God over the circumstances that have caused us to suffer, to come to grips with our own failures or to protest our innocence, and to do so without fear that our vulnerability will somehow anger God.
There will always be reasons that account for our times of pain and suffering. But when it comes to purposes—whether or not they exist—we will very likely experience silence when we try to identify them. Regardless, we are invited to turn to the God who knows us and loves us, and comes alongside us in our pain, trusting in him to grant us the hope to face the days ahead.
Prayer
God, our Father.
You have searched us and known us. No matter where we go, no matter what we experience, you are there. In our pain, Lord, grant us your rest that we might trust in you, even letting go of our need to find answers that may not be found. Fill us with the hope that you are with us, and there is no anguish, no assault, no suffering that can isolate us from your love.
This we pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork #1
Bound
Karen Schmidt
2012
Bronze
6.25 x 6 x 7 in.
Sculptor Karen Schmidt describes her work Bound: “This sculpture came from a place of deep frustration and grief over the brokenness that binds me in my life and work––things like perfectionism and fear. When the sculpture was completed, I felt release. The figure was transformed into a posture of prayer––brokenness, now wrapped in acceptance and grace.” While her sculpture is minimal in style, it is the gesture and form of each of Schmidt’s figures that enables every piece to visually articulate the emotional and spiritual elements of the stories they reflect, thereby producing works of art that are rich in symbolic and multifaceted meaning.
About the Artist #1:
Karen Schmidt is an American artist who studied fine art and education at California State University at Fullerton, and earned degrees in both disciplines. She first worked as an elementary school teacher and later became a full-time homemaker while designing and creating banners and installation art for various churches. Beginning in 1996, she studied under Russian artist and sculptor Simon Kogan, which allowed her to acquire a foundation for understanding the classical approach to the human figure. In addition to Kogan’s instruction and influence, her sculptures have been greatly informed by the work of such artists as Maillol, Bourdelle, Marino Marini, Barlach, and Henry Moore. Karen’s formal artistic training and natural aesthetic sensibility yields compelling work that is able to communicate spiritual truths through form, gesture, and symbol. Much of the imagery in Karen’s work is derived from the biblical narrative, and both points to specific moments throughout the Bible while also encompassing greater truths that speak to the realities of the human condition. Some of her achievements include receiving a Bene Award for her sculpture Mary & Elizabeth in 2006, as well as having her piece Ugandan Sisters selected for the National Sculpture Society’s seventy-second Annual Exhibition in New York, New York. Karen is a member of Christians in Visual Arts (CIVA), and the Association of Consultants for Liturgical Space (ACLS).
http://www.karenschmidtsculpture.com/
About the Artworks #2:
Loss (Female)
Allison Evonne Streett
2012
13" w. x 9" d. x 10" h.
Bronze
Loss (Male)
Allison Evonne Streett
2015
7" w. x 4.5" d. x 8" h.
Bronze
This work entitled Loss is composed of two small sculptures. Artist Allison Streett created them in response to a dear friend’s miscarriage, in an effort to “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). They show the intense grief from the perspectives of both a man and a woman. The pose of the female figure is particularly difficult physically, as she wraps herself in her arm so tightly, but it is the position Streett returned to again and again as she imagined the agony of losing a child. The male figure is also curled in upon himself––gripping the edge of the cliff he is crouching on. Both figures are sculpted in the nude and bald to further emphasize their vulnerability.
About the Artist #2:
Allison Evonne Streett is a sculptor living and working in Texas. Her religious faith has always influenced her work, and many of her works are drawn directly from biblical narratives. In some of her sculptures, beauty is the primary language, but often there is an element of brokenness which reflects the grief, pain, and separation we universally experience. In all of her work her goal is to create evocative, technically excellent sculptures that communicate the truth about human experiences in an honoring, challenging, and hopeful way that creates opportunities for conversations that help us to better understand one another and ourselves. Streett’s sculpture has received local and national recognition in many group exhibitions and competitions, including the 88th Annual National Sculpture Society Awards Exhibition in 2021; the Emerging Stars in American Sculpture hosted by the National Sculpture Society at Brookgreen Gardens in 2019; and the Portrait Society of America’s Tri-State Competition in 2019. Among her awards and honors she was awarded Best in Show at the 2019 Texas Sculpture Association Members Show and Restoration; Peace and Unity, an exhibit with the Texas Jewish Arts Association; the Award for Excellence at Conception Dallas in 2019; a grant from the Sumasil Foundation in 2006; and a grant from the Hillsdale College Christian Visual Arts Educational Fund in 2003.
https://www.allisonstreettstudios.com/#/loss/
About the Music #1:
“Psalm 38 (You Will Answer)” from the album The Psalms Project: Volume 4, Psalms 31-38
Lyrics #1:
O LORD, do not rebuke me
Nor chasten me in wrath
For Your arrows have sunk in me
And heavy is Your hand
There is no strength left in me
Because of Your jealous rage
There is no health in my bones
Because of my sins
They have piled over my head
Like a heavy burden they’ve become too much for me to take
My wounds, they reek and fester
From going my own way
I bow my all before You
All day my spirit grieves
For this pain within is burning
There is no strength in me
I’m weak and I am crushed, Lord
I groan from deep inside
O Lord, you know my longing
And I know that when I cry
You will answer
You will answer
My heart is pounding in me
No strength is left within
Even the light of my eyes
Is quickly growing dim
Even my friends and family
Are no longer by my side
Those who hate me seek to trap me
They plan for my demise
Like a deaf man, I can’t hear
Like a mute man who can’t say a word
Forsaken and ostracized
I am like one who can’t hear
In whose mouth is no reply
I bow my all before You
All day my spirit grieves
For this pain within is burning
There is no strength in me
I’m weak and I am crushed, Lord
I groan from deep inside
O Lord, you know my longing
And I know that when I cry
You will answer
You will answer
All my hope is in You, Yahweh
Adonai Elohai, it is You who will answer
For I have prayed, “Don’t give the victory
To my enemies, who rejoice when my foot slips”
For I am ready to fall
And my sorrow will not leave
I confess my sin before You
It’s taken all my peace
For my enemies are mighty
Many hate me without cause
They repay me evil for good
For I stand for righteousness
Do not forsake me, LORD
Oh my God, do not be remote and far away
Oh, hurry to my help, Lord
You are the God who saves
I bow my all before You
All day my spirit grieves
For this pain within is burning
There is no strength in me
I’m weak and I am crushed, Lord
I groan from deep inside
O Lord, you know my longing
And I know that when I cry
You will answer
You will answer
You will answer
You will answer
About the Performer #1:
Damon Groen is an American worship leader at Living Water Community Church in Orange City, Iowa. Groen is also a student at Dordt College, a private evangelical Christian university in Sioux Center, Iowa, as a worship arts major with a theatre arts minor.
http://forallwhothirst.com/staff/damon-groen
About the Composer #1:
Shane Heilman is the worship leader, vocalist, songwriter, and music producer for the Psalms Project. Before writing and producing Volume 1: Psalms 1-10 in 2012, he studied music performance at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and wrote and has recorded five independent albums. He has performed all over the US with various artists as a guitarist, vocalist, and worship leader.
https://www.thepsalmsproject.com/whoweare/
About the Music #2
“Mercy, O God” from the album Closer
Lyrics #2:
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
Have mercy oh God
Mercy on me
Make me new according
To Your unfailing love
In your great compassion
Wash away my sin
Cleanse me
And I’ll be whiter than snow
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
[Women]
Have mercy oh God
Mercy on me
Make me new according to
Your unfailing love
[Men]
Have mercy oh God
mercy on me
[Women]
In your great compassion
Wash away my sin
[Men]
Make me new according to
Your unfailing love
[Women]
Cleanse me
And I’ll be whiter than snow
[Men]
In your great compassion
Wash away my sin
[Women]
In your great compassion
Wash away my sin
[Men]
Cleanse me
And I’ll be whiter than snow
[Women]
Cleanse me
And I’ll be whiter than snow 241
[Men]
In your great compassion
Wash away my sin
Cleanse me
And I’ll be whiter than snow
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
Just as I am without one plea
But that thy blood
Was shed for me
And that thou bidst me
come to thee
Oh lamb of God, I come
Mercy, have mercy
Mercy, have mercy
About the Performers #2:
The ZOE Group is a division of Christian Music Resources, Inc., a not-for-profit Christian ministry dedicated to worship renewal in the lives of individuals and the churches to which they belong. This goal is accomplished primarily through the creation and distribution of worship resources, such as a cappella musical recordings and printed sheet music, and through live events and worship conferences. In 1995, a small group gathered for a weekly study, searching the Scriptures to find meaningful and intentional ways of sharing a passion for worship with the church. A nonprofit organization was soon established to help implement and share innovative worship ideas with others. In 1997, as a part of this new organization, a group of singers was formed to help introduce new/contemporary songs into churches. This group is known as The ZOE Group. "Zoe" is the Greek word used throughout the New Testament which means "the absolute fullness of life.”
http://www.zoegroup.org/
About the Composer #2:
Dr. Randy Gill is a worship leader, singer/songwriter, educator, and composer. Gill spent sixteen years as worship minister for Campus Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He served as an associate professor of music and associate director of church relations at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. During his years at Pepperdine he founded the popular singing group, Won By One. He has also served on the faculties of Rochester College, Oklahoma Christian University, and David Lipscomb University. Gill is a successful songwriter and arranger whose work is featured on several albums by recording artists and whose songs and arrangements are performed by choirs and churches around the world. His three biblical musicals Get In The Boat, A Time To Stand, and Promised Land, co-written with Jeff Walling, have been produced by theatre companies and churches across the United States. In addition to his activities as a worship leader, teacher, and musician, he is a popular speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. He was a founding member of the ZOE Worship Resource Group and continues to be active in their annual conferences, recordings, and publishing projects. Gill has degrees from Rochester College, Harding University, University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California.
https://www.unitedvoiceworship.org/randy-gill
About the Poet:
John Donne (1572–1631) was an Anglican cleric and one of England’s most gifted and influential poets. Donne was so respected by his followers that they thought him “a king that ruled as he thought fit, the universal monarchy of wit.” Raised a Roman Catholic, Donne later converted to Anglicanism, though his sensibility, as indicated perhaps in his late Christian poetry, always seems to have remained with the Roman Catholic Church. Unable to find civil employment, Donne was eventually persuaded of his calling to the church and took Anglican orders in 1615. His work is distinguished by its emotional intensity and its capacity to deeply delve into the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and personal salvation. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and contain a variety of forms, including sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires, and sermons. His poetry is noted for its eloquent language, fusion of intellect and passion, and inventiveness of metaphor. In 1621, he was appointed the dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London and also served as a member of Parliament in 1601 and in 1614. After a resurgence in his popularity in the early twentieth century, Donne’s reputation as one of the greatest writers of English prose and poetry was established.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-donne
About the Devotion Author:
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
Mike McNichols is a former pastor and served as director of Fuller Seminary’s regional campus in Irvine, California, for over thirteen years. McNichols currently teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary as an affiliate assistant professor of intercultural studies. He and his wife, Emily, live in Orange County, California.