Week 8 - "Sweetness to My Taste"

This is getting better and better each week when you really read the prayer! Hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!

As a recap, here is the great prayer from Elizabeth Rhodes:

"Grant me, gracious Lord, a pure intention of heart, and a steadfast regard to your glory in all my actions. Possess my mind continually with your presence, and fill it with your love, that my whole delight may be to repose in the arms of your protection. Be light to my eyes, music to my ears, sweetness to my taste, and full contentment to my heart. Be my sunshine in the day, my food at the table, my repose in the night, my clothing in company, my succor in all necessities.
Lord Jesus, I give you my body, my soul, my substance, my fame, my friends, my liberty, and my life. Dispose of me, and all that is mine, as seems best to you, and to the glory of your blessed name. I am not my own, but yours; therefore claim me as your right, keep me as your charge, and love me as your child. Fight for me when I am assailed, heal me when I am wounded, and revive me when I am destroyed.
My Lord and my God, I ask you to give me patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all my ghostly enemies. Grant me sorrow for my sins, thankfulness for my benefits, fear of your judgments, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence for evermore. Make me humble to my superiors and friendly to my equals, ready to please all and loathe to offend any; loving to my friends and charitable to my enemies. Give me modesty in my countenance, gravity in my behavior, deliberation in my speech, holiness in my thoughts, and righteousness in all my actions. Let your mercy cleanse me from my sins, and your grace bring forth in me the fruits of everlasting life.
Lord, let me be obedient without arguing, humble without feigning, patient without grudging, pure without corruption, mercy without lightness, sad without mistrust, sober without dullness, true without duplicity, fearing you without desperation, and trusting you without presumption. Let me joyful for nothing but that which pleases you, and sorrowful for nothing but what displeases you: that labor be my delight which is for you, and let all weary me that is not in you. Give me a waking spirit, and a diligent soul, that I may seek to know your will, and when I know it may I perform it faithfully to the honor and glory of your ever blessed name. Amen."

Chilcote took this prayer that is divided into four roughly equal parts and provided a theme for each section:
Part 1: Who is God to me? (first paragraph of prayer)
Part 2: What can I give to and ask of God? (second)
Part 3: How does God shape my life? (third)
Part 4: How do I live as a disciple of Christ? (fourth)

Today, we continue with part one from Chilcote.

Scripture

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” - Psalm 119:97-103

Meditation

The poet theologian George Herbert exerted a tremendous influence upon Charles Wesley. His collection of poems entitled The Temple reveals his own personal quest for faith and intimacy with God. In a poem built around the image of banquet, Herbert invites Christ to live and dwell in his heart and welcomes the delicious, sacred cheer that surpasses all earthly joys. Using images common to the mystical tradition, he reflects upon the way in which God’s sweetness surprises and deluges the soul. The psalmist describes God’s speech – God’s Law – in similar ways. God’s words are “sweeter than honey to the mouth.” What a phenomenal description of God and God’s actions!

Recent studies demonstrate that most people conceive God as adversarial, critical, and distant. In terms of taste, it would probably be right to describe their concept – their taste – of God as sour, bitter, and acrid. But those who have come to know God in Jesus Christ have a very different conception. God’s Word is sweet. God’s Law, God’s commandments, God’s words not only seem sweet but create sweetness. They sweeten everything they touch. In this unique way of thinking about our relationship with God, God delights in providing a banquet of sweet things for us. God invites all who are hungry and thirsty – all who seek mercy and salvation – to come, to drink, and to eat. God offers us the most nourishing food imaginable and shares the sweetness of Christ’s mercy with us all.

O God, be sweetness to my taste.

Prayer

Gracious Lord, whose words are sweet and whose law of love delights the soul: when I am hungry and thirsty for that which is truly good, welcome me to your great banquet and feed me from the twin tables of your Word and Sacrament that I might be filled. Amen.

Part Nine coming next Monday...
pcraig