Week 15 - "My Soul"

Today, we continue with part two of this great prayer. We are on week fifteen this week!

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 two from Chilcote.

Reading

"His heart is ashes, his hope is cheaper than dirt, and his life is of less worth than clay, because he failed to know the one who formed him and inspired him with an active soul and breathed into him a living spirit.” - Wisdom of Solomon 15:10-11 (not inspired)

Meditation

Given the fact that body and soul interconnect so inextricably for the Christian, not only do we offer our body to God, but we pray to give God our soul as well. The reading for today uses very interesting language to describe the soul as an essential part of who we are as God’s creatures. While unfamiliar to most Protestants, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians find Wisdom of Solomon in a section of the Bible known as the Apocrpyha (secondary or hidden works). As dutiful priests of the Church of England, both John and Charles Wesley read regularly from these apocryphal writings, since they were highly valued in their Anglican tradition.

The author of Wisdom elevates the importance of acknowledging the One who has “inspired” us with “active souls” and a “living spirit.” God inspires human beings, literally meaning that God puts a spirit within us (“in-spirits” us). Note the close connection between incarnation and inspiration used in this sense. The former connected God’s Spirit with a body – Jesus’ body – in space and time. The latter connects our bodies with an eternal soul. God intends for the soul to act and live, not to atrophy and die. According to Wesley in the hymn below, God creates us to be just and good, full of power and love. But God must restore the misdirected soul to its primitive or original design. God’s re-creative work in Christ restores truth, mercy, wisdom, purity, happiness, and most importantly, eternal rest in God’s embrace.

Prayer

Gracious Lord, who created us as a unity of body and soul: keep me outwardly in my body and inwardly in my soul, that I may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body and from all evil which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

As a recap if you would like to read it, 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."

Pa rt Sixteen coming next Monday...
pcraig