Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150: 3-6)

I perceive that self-restraint is both a discipline and a blessing of faith. We are called to make space for others and give place to God. A faithful combination of confidence and humility can allow us to listen more than speak, serve rather than insist, and open ourselves to the greater reality beyond ourselves.

But self-restraint need not - should not - limit our ability to feel and express joy. We are told to praise God: to shine, flash forth, boast, to be a fool, even to be as a madman. We are to let go of our dignified pride and praise God without restraint.

Music - sung, played, or listened to - can pull us into the present. Music can open us joy. With music we can enter into unrestrained praise for God. In praise we can reclaim our direct relationship with God.

In the spirit of the psalm, if you are on broadband listen to Mozel Tov by the Yale Klezmer Band.

May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfil all your plans. May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfil all your petitions. (Psalm 20: 4-5)

When we find and follow the path intended by God our journey may not be any easier, but we consistently move toward our ultimate goal.

Instead of recurring dead-ends and false-starts we make progress. We make progress in weaving wholeness into our own lives and the lives of those around us.

On this path our desires move closer and closer to the designs of God. Our plans become more and more coherent with the intentions of God.

In achieving wholeness we may claim victory or yeshu'ah: deliverence, salvation, liberation.

The victory of God is not so much about overcoming others as it is about finding our true selves.

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16: 11)

For Aristotle the object of life is eudaimonia - a good soul - characterized by happiness and personal fulfillment. Most fulfilling is to practice arete: a way of living that is self-aware, honorable in dealing with others, and both creates and appreciates excellence.

In Paul's letter to the Greeks at Philippi (4:8) the evangelist incorporates this ethos into Christian teaching. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence (arete), if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

The path that God intended for us is joyful. This is not just quiet satisfaction - though this may also be the case - it is na'iym - pleasurable, mirthful, beautiful, delightful, and sweet. We are called to joy. To claim this gift we must find, follow and fulfill the way of God.

Above is Fulfillment by Gustav Klimt.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34: 11-14)

In my work I often negotiate contracts. The best contracts are clear regarding the exchange of value. Usually the exchange is defined by one party delivering services or products for which a monetary payment is provided by the other party.

The psalmist suggests an exchange of value: In order to receive a long and good life the party of the first part shall not say untruthful and hurtful things. Further, the party of the first part shall be kind, creative, and contribute to wholeness in all things.

The contract is usually an important step in defining a new relationship. The details of the negotiation can help both parties come to understand one another and clarify mutual expectations. The negotiator in me would want to further define hurtful, kind, creative, and wholeness.

But the most productive relationships soon transcend the need for detailed negotiation of terms. In such a relationship we sometimes say that the parties demonstrate "good faith" regarding the exchange of value. This is especially important in the services industry where the delivery can be somewhat intangible.

To receive the life God intended we must demonstrate consistent good faith.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34: 4-8)

Many find the world's evil incompatible with a loving God. They conclude that either God does not exist or God does not care.

I perceive that God cares but is purposefully and lovingly restrained.

Further, I understand that my role as one of God's children is to work to reclaim the world to its original purpose. God seeks to empower us to do the work of love.

In the 34th Psalm we read of being delivered from every fear. The same words can be translated as "caused me to depart from every fear."

We are saved from every trouble can also be rendered as liberated from every tight place. The implication is to recognize more options and opportunities.

An angel will deliver us can also be understood as drawing us off or equipping us.

I know that without God's help I am nearly powerless. With God's help I have opportunities and responsibilities to actively love and create.

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more. (Psalm 10: 17-18)

In most of the psalms assigned for today the wicked are close and God seems far away. "Why do you stand far off, O Lord," is the first line of the tenth psalm.

But the psalmist promises that the voice of the weak will be heard. He offers assurances that the wicked will no longer bring oppression and terror.

Those who are oppressed are strengthened - kuwn - in their heart or leb. The phrase could also be translated as, "you will prepare their courage, character, and mind." The implication is that this strengthening will give the weak the wherewithal to overcome oppression.

Most translators footnote the final phrase of the tenth psalm, the meaning of the Hebrew is especially ambiguous. The man from earth, or earthen man, or the man of no particular place, or those of earth and not of heaven oppress and terrorize.

God intervenes to transform those who have been crushed. God gives them strength to overcome the wicked. God restores those who have been displaced to their inheritance as children of heaven.

Above is Fire by Ryan Williams, age 8. This is from a series of artworks by people with epilepsy called Expressions of Courage.

They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1: 3)

When we avoid wickedness and give value to the teachings of God we will be blessed.

Our blessing will be analogous to a fruit tree planted by a flowing stream.

The tree will experience seasons, drought, flood and all the variations of living. But at the right times - 'eth - the tree will produce good fruit.

The Hebrew suggests, in a manner not captured in this English translation, that finally and overall the blessed will prosper.

The sense, as I read it, is that while the seasons will come, go, and bring varied results, in the end and taken as a whole - kol from kalal - the blessed will make progress.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practise it have a good understanding. His praise endures for ever. (Psalm 11:10)

Fear is the beginning - re'shiyth - of wisdom.

Fear is the first step, the upper part, and the shaking place that can lead to wisdom.

Sometimes I require a good shaking. I can easily become complacent. I can stop paying attention.

When I am surprised, am shaken, and afraid I am much more likely to open myself to others and to God.

It makes sense that being in relationship with the creator of the universe would often be an unsettling experience.

Today many eastern churches celebrate Easter.

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. (Psalm 118: 13-14)

Understanding is often a fragile process. Any two people are likely to perceive the same event differently. Their perception is dependent on their angle of view, attention, and much more.

Even something as stable as the written word is open to honestly varied interpretations. What we understand certainly depends on the intention and skill of the author. But it also depends on our perception of context, our own situation, and our own needs.

Above the translator has chosen, "The Lord is my strength and my might..." The Hebrew reads that Yah (an abbreviation for Yahwah) is my 'oz (strength, might, source of power) and my zimrah.

I do not understand how zimrah becomes might. To me - and my dictionary - it means song, melody or music. Maybe the translator understood zimrah as inspiration. I suppose we can be inspired - as a song inspires - to courage, confidence, and thereby to might.

Perhaps the translator especially needed reassurance of God's power. But I especially value the promise of God's singing. I actively seek the melody of God.

Above is Metamorphosis II by M.C. Escher.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures for ever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures for ever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures for ever. (Psalm 136: 1-9)

'Owlam Chesed is the Hebrew translated as his steadfast love endures for ever.

Chesed is to act with consistent goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. This is to love completely and without condition. This is the form of love most often attributed to God.

'Owlam is usually translated as everlasting or perpetual. It is derived from 'alam meaning concealed or secret. 'Owlam can be understood as similar to infinite, especially in being beyond our comprehension.

God's love is so great as to be beyond our ability to understand.

The appropriate and entirely sufficient response to this wonderful mystery is to give thanks.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. (Psalm 146: 1-2)

There are many Hebrew words for praise. Each suggests a different form of praise, a different source, and a different intent.

Here the praise is halal. This is to be full of light, to flash forth light, to shine. We are also to zamar: sing praises, make music, offer pleasing sounds. In other psalms we are to shabach or soothe, stroke, and calm.

In offering praise to God we also offer our best selves. In praise we can find the beauty and power that God originally intended for us.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he has uttered. (Psalm 105: 1-5)

To worship is to assign worth or to recognize worth or to assign value. A penny on the pavement is often ignored. A twenty dollar bill is seldom passed by. The greater the value the more attention it will usually receive.

We tend to give greater value to that which is scarce. Iron is a more useful metal than gold. But iron is more plentiful, so the value we assign is less than gold.

God's wonderful works are all about us. God's love is constant and inexhaustible. God's value is inestimable. Yet the very extravagance of God's gifts can cause us to take them for granted.

By giving thanks and singing praise and remembering we worship. To seek God's presence continually - to fully recognize the value of God's love - is to truly worship.

Above is Mindfulness by Gil Dominguez.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33: 20-22)

We wait, are glad, trust, and hope. God helps, defends, and loves.

We trust in God's holy name. We trust in our God's qodesh shem: separate prominence or sacred identity. We have confidence in God's character.

We share in this character. Our identity has its origin in God's identity.

We may try to reject this identity. We often doubt it. We may ignore it. We can twist it until it is barely recognizable.

But God abides in us and with us. God waits for us.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16: 7-11)

God is always close at hand. But I am not always close to God.

In Exodus we read of a volcanic and thunderous God from whom the people fled. They asked Moses to serve as an intermediary rather than encounter God directly.

In response God chose to be present through the ark of the covenant offering counsel to those who approached. But by his time the prophet Jeremiah laments that the ark is neither visited nor remembered.

God has inspired prophets and preachers to better prepare us to hear and see. But many have chosen to be deaf and blind. In Jesus God found a perfect expression of love and faithfulness. But for many even Jesus has become unreal.

God tries to adapt to our readiness. But too often we are distracted, preoccupied, and proud. We are offered the hand of God. But we fail to extend our hand to receive it.

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! (Psalm 118: 21-25)

Each day is made by God. Each day is worth our rejoicing. Especially this Easter Day.

Each day offers a new beginning. Each new day allows for putting behind us the failures of the past.

Yesterday we may have been consumed with doubt, fear, and hate. This day we can choose to be faithful, courageous and loving.

Psalm 118 is a song of praise. The psalmist recognizes that the love of God has saved him. He has come through a difficult time exalting in his dependence on God.

"Give us success!" seems a very self-serving prayer to insert in the midst of thanksgiving and praise. This success - tsalach - is primarily material, financial, and of this world. Especially on Easter Sunday I am uncomfortable with this being the arguable climax of the song.

Tsalach also implies making progress, advancing, and in some obscure cases to rush forward. I could try to make a case that the psalmist is seeking spiritual success. But this would be a twisting of context and meaning.

Much of our life is given over to pursuing success. This pursuit too often distracts from our relationship with God. The psalmist reminds us to bring everything into the relationship.

Most of us recognize the crucial difference between a substantive success and a meaningless success. We might welcome winning the lottery. But we would really rather make daily progress in becoming more faithful, more courageous, and more loving.

There is no essential conflict between the spiritual and material if we bring everything into our relationship with God. In Jesus we have been given a model of the wholly human and wholly divine fully resolved.

Fundamental to orthodox teaching is that Jesus was resurrected in body and spirit: proclaiming the divine origins and purpose of all aspects of creation.

Dearest God thank you for the example of Jesus. Help us to dedicate every aspect of our lives to our original purposes and your loving intention. Help us to bind up the wounds that separate us from one another and from you. Help us to make whole each of our own lives. Help us to find the faith, courage, and love to make the world whole. Give us success.

Above is Resurrection by Vijay Felix DCosta.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27: 11-14)

"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" is an interesting way to render verse 13. This is the New Revised Standard Version.

The New American Standard offers, "I would have despaired unless I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

In my judgment both translations work too hard to make explicit that which is implicit.

The 1917 JPS Old Testament gives us: "If I had not believed to look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!--" This strikes me as closest to the original Hebrew. The prospect of non-belief is so awful... I cannot say it.

In the spiritual domain the opposite of belief is the absence of hope. Despair is the removal of hope. As Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp has taught, "“We can live for a week without any food, we can survive days without water, but we cannot live even one moment without hope."

The innocent are abused. The weak are oppressed. The good are ridiculed. The wise are exiled. Jesus has died.

Still I hope. Still I have confidence that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Psalm 22: 1)

Today many Christian churches recall the death of Jesus. The gospels of Mark and Matthew report that shortly before dying Jesus quoted the line above. According to these gospels he said, "Eloi, Eloi, lama samachthani?

The twenty-second psalm is full of despair.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

But the psalm also expresses confidence in the love of God.

You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.

Through our free choosing and the free choice of others trouble - even evil - will come upon us. But we are never alone. God is here and God hears.

I perceive that other choices were available on the first Good Friday. The chief priests might have chosen differently, Pilate might have chosen differently, Jesus might have chosen differently. But confronted with the choice of others, Jesus chose to be consistent with his purpose and faithful to his relationship with God.

We are often confronted with similar choices. I do not always make the choice of Jesus. Too often I fail to even recognize that I am choosing.

Above is Resurrection by Marc Chagall.

Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. (Psalm 143: 9-11)

Today many Christian Churches recognize Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. This is a commemoration of Jesus and his principal disciples gathering for Passover and, probably, sharing a seder meal.

A Passover Seder at the time of Jesus almost certainly featured at least four and, potentially, five cups of wine. This was a relatively new addition to the seder instituted during the Roman period. Each cup of wine represented a different blessing of God. The fifth cup, the so-called Elijah cup, represented redemption for all. This was poured but not consumed because it was perceived this blessing had not yet arrived.

According to the gospels during the Passover meal Jesus predicted his betrayal and offered the sacramental potential of bread and wine. It is possible that it was the Elijah cup that is referenced when it is written, "Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many." (Mark 14: 22-23)

Above is the Last Supper by Sadao Watanabe.

But I will trust in you. (Psalm 55: 23)

Tonight Passover or Pesach begins. The escape from Egypt and the Exodus will be recalled. The festival will continue for the next eight days.

During the festival Jews are not to eat or even own anything made with leavening. This recalls that in the escape from Egypt there was not time to allow bread to rise.

This has also come to reflect the need to put aside anything that causes spiritual "puffiness", pride, or arrogance.

Passover remembers the end of Egyptian oppression. It also marks the beginning of a forty year journey in the wilderness. The security of slavery was exchanged for the challenges of freedom.

God has not promised comfort. God has promised partnership in pursuing great purposes. Our response is to trust - batach - to have confidence, to be bold, and even to be careless.

Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? (Psalm 94: 1-3)

The reflex for revenge is strong. To perceive a hurt and want to return a hurt is common. Vengeance racks the earth. The Hebrew meaning seems very close to our modern understanding of vengeance.

The source of the English word is the Latin vindicare meaning to avenge, claim, or set free. The supposed purpose of those seeking vengeance is a claim of justice: to take back what has been taken from.

All of the psalms assigned for today (6, 12, and 94) are preoccupied by evildoers, terror, vileness, arrogance, and the wicked. The psalmists seek revenge or, at least, a demonstration of God's power to set things right.

Our motivation is often to reclaim in anger what has been taken from us. God's vengeance is as often about setting us free from our sense of having been wronged.

Forgiveness is a demonstration of God's power. Forgiveness can bring wholeness to that which has been shattered. In the fullest meaning of the word, forgiveness is a powerful form of vengeance.

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness... (Psalm 51: 6-8)

Purge me with hyssop is the translation above. Purify is a more common translation. Hyssop is an herb used in religious cleansing rituals.

This Hebrew word for purify is chata. In most forms this verb means to sin. In the King James translation chata is rendered as to sin 188 times. It is translated as purify eleven times.

Only as a reflexive verb does chata make this remarkable transformation from sinning to purfiying. A reflexive verb has an identical subject and direct object. It is something we do to ourselves. If my action - chata - is aimed at another it is a sin. The same action aimed at myself can become a way of purification.

In its non-spiritual applications chata is to go the wrong way or miss the mark. In its reflexive form it means to lose oneself or to miss oneself.

In self-reflection we may find that our true self is missing. We may perceive that we have taken the wrong way. This self-discovery is a crucial first-step in purification

Above is a fractal, a naturally occuring pattern that is self-refective and repeating.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Psalm 24: 3-6)

Most religious traditions have cleansing rituals. It can often be as simple as washing hands before entering a place of worship.

Hebrew has several words that can be translated as clean. Above those who have naqiy hands and barar hearts will receive God's blessing. Each can mean clean. Neither necessarily imply a ritual, as with taher.

Naqiy has implications for being innocent or empty. Barar is suggestive of having been purged and polished. Sincerity of intention and innocent actions are both important.

I cannot do this cleaning myself. My intentions are often confused. My actions are prone to accident or worse.

For me cleansing is not possible before coming to God. Any cleansing is the result of being with God.

O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. (Psalm 43: 3-4)

God comes to each of us in a different way. What is a warming and reassuring light to me may be frightful lightening to another.

With each of my clients I choose different words and ways. I try to adapt my speaking and doing to the unique character of each of my children.

God comes to me with subtle clues, poignant ironies, and fascinating word-play. God seduces me by drawing out my best self.

No doubt I am often frustrating to God. Presented with the best, I sometimes choose the worst. Much of the time I am simply not paying attention.

It is my experience that the light - a unique light for each of us - is always there, ready to be noticed, prepared to lead the way.

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so I shall be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18: 1-3)

Throughout the scriptures God is compared to a rock: solid, steadfast, persistent, consistent, and strong. Our lives are often compared to shifting sands or a swiftly flowing stream.

For many months my life has been a bit like whitewater rafting. It has been both treacherous and wondrous. But I am tired. I need some time outside the current.

Bring me to shore. Let me sleep in your strength. I will return to the river. But I need your help. Deliver me and restore me, my God.

Above is Black Rock Off Lookout Island by Toni Onley.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. (Psalm 105: 4)

Many consider God an illusion, even a dangerous illusion.

Others are ready to grant the existence of a higher power, but so high off as to be irrelevant to daily life.

I perceive that God is utterly beyond my understanding, yet I am drawn more and more into relationship. More and more God is in my every moment.

Seek - darash - a deep questioning, a profound investigation, a constant care.

We are to seek the one who is exists now, in the past, and in the future. Seek what is real.

Seek especially God's strength - oz - boldness, firmness, confidence.

Seek God's presence - paniym - face, intimacy, entire being.

Seek all of the time, forever, stretching into infinity.

O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (Psalm 130: 7-8)

We hope, wait, expect. Each are verbs. Each imply our own action.

We hope for redemption. We hope to be reclaimed from our iniquities. We hope to be unbound, untied, and pulled straight. We hope to be saved from distortion and perversion. We hope to see clearly and proceed confidently.

Our hope is in that which exists now, in the past, and in the future. Our hope is in that which is ultimately real. Our hope is in God.

The character of ultimate reality is chesed: goodness, kindness, love.

Our active hope will focus on perceiving and receving this love. Through this hope we will also learn to love.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. (Psalm 127: 1-2)

Without a relationship - really a partnership - with God all is emptiness. The vanity of this psalm is less about pride and more about emptiness and absense.

We are creators. But unless we create in a manner coherent with our original purposes, our creations will be empty of meaning.

No amount of work or worry can fill this emptiness. But love can fill it to overflowing.

An alternative translation of verse 2 reads, "for he gives to his beloved even in sleep."

When alone no amount of painful effort can achieve the wholeness we seek. In loving relationship with God much can be achieved even in effortless sleep.

Above is a photograph by Evren Sahin entitled Daydreaming.

You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31: 3-5)

The psalms assigned for today - especially Psalm 35 - are full of enemies. The other readings abound with the intrique, betrayal, quarrelling, pride, and strife of various outsiders.

In my own life I am not aware of any true enemies. But I am certainly surrounded by confusion and contention. I often seem trapped in a net, even if it is my own creation.

The psalmist gives thanks for having been redeemed. There are three Hebrew words that are often translated as redeem. In the verse above the word is padah. The meaning of padah is close to the English "ransom."

A ransom is something paid to free or reclaim something or someone who has been taken. We especially think of paying a ransom to kidnappers. It is a buying back.

God buys us back with love. But - at least in my life - I am also the kidnapper. To be reclaimed, I must accept the ransom, and agree to return my self safely to God.

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51: 6-10)

God desires 'emeth: truth, firmness, consistency, faithfulness, and reliability.

We can find this truth in our inward being - our tuwchah - our innermost, even hidden, source of motivation. The Hebrew is derived from the verb meaning to hurl or shoot.

The psalmist asks for kochmaw: wisdom, practical skill, shrewdness regarding others, prudence in action, ethical insight, and religious understanding.

We can find this wisdom in our secret heart - our catham - that aspect of us that is hidden, unused, purposefully blocked, and stopped up.

We must be cleansed, purged, and restored. Then we might find the original self that we have buried and nearly forgotten. Then we might reclaim our purpose and joy.

The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. (Psalm 7:8)

The psalmist often asks God to judge others. An assertion of the psalmist's righteousness is not uncommon. But here the prayer is to be judged.

The criteria for judgement is righteousness (tsedeq) and integrity (tome).

Tsedeq is to be one's true self - purified self - the self that God intended. This is the self that expresses our origin in God's purpose and character.

Tome is to be whole, coherent, fulfilled, and completed. Tsedeq is our good beginning. Tome is our good ending.

Have I reclaimed my original purpose? Am I advancing toward my ultimate goal? O God, judge me and lead me.

Above is a self-portrait by Roy Hui, age 8, of Brisbane, Australia.