Healing Psalms

 

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; 

thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psalm 32:7 King James Version (KJV)

A recent sermon series was delivered based on the extended reflections of Walter Brueggemann.  What was meaningful was it was not just the sermons, it was the liturgy.  We sung the psalms.

The question for me was how have the psalms been critical in my life?  The answer is that they have been a source of healing.  They have been present in times of lament, times of celebration and times of reflection.  

In October 2012, I was asked to give an OB/GYN Grand Rounds lecture at East Tennessee State University   I chose as a title, “Pause, Reflect, Heal”; the words that had been placed on the doorposts of each patient room.  Those words were based on the Hebrew word “Selah” that is found at the end of many of the Psalms. 

That lecture was transported/translated into “Selah Rounds” while at Tenwek Hospital, Kenya.  Briefly stated, the clinical team would Pause/Pray on entry to the patient’s room, Reflect on the clinical information and look for the healing connection with the patient, family and community.   It would be repeated multiple times as we went by the bedside of each patient.  Frequently, we would be interrupted, surprised and sometimes saddened as we returned to that ritual.  Each day another connection would be added to the care narrative.

What I have learned, is that “Selah” can happen in the psalms of our lives.  It is an ancient and beautiful directive to our healing.

Thanks be to God, Selah

Marvin

References

Brueggemann, W. (2002). Spirituality of the Psalms. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Hage, M. L. (2013). Selah

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2013/04/selah.html

Hage, M. L. (2013). Rounds are Over!

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2013/09/rounds-are-over.html

Healing Time

“A Moment of Healing”

In the beginning God created….

Genesis 1:1a (NIV)

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

It is difficult to describe “healing” and “time“ together.  These are two big ideas!  Let’s start with a brief review of the idea of “time”.  

“Time” commonly means chronological time and is a linear concept.  It is how we measure our lives, our “autobiographical time”.  This is the “time” that can have tyranny in our over-scheduled and busy lives as well as how we tell our stories.

Another idea is “biological time” this a cyclical time and is the basis of the rhythm of life.  It is studied as the discipline of chronobiology.  This “time” names the seasons of our lives and nature.

There is time, as understood by astrophysicists, who see it as a “space time” construct.  This space time is a mystery for most of us.  It is really a BIG idea.

There is another idea of time that is kairos.  This Greek word has many translations.  Here I will use the idea of God’s time.  This time is a mystery that is central to our lives together.   It is sometimes referred to as “deep time” or “God’s slow time”.  It can be found in those moments of Sabbath.

When we put together the mysteries of “healing” and “time”,  I believe we have a better idea of the nature of healing.  Healing as experienced in our lives is not manipulated or measured by our common understanding of time.  It is a mystery that is received as a gift and recurs in the different seasons of our lives.  It is seen best when we “slow down”,  name and celebrate the gift.  We know this time of healing when we see it!   If you want to hear about healing time, check out Kate Bowler’s conversation with John Swinton.

Marvin

References:

Rovelli, C. (2016). Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (First Edition ed.). Riverhead Books.

Forger, D. B. (2017). Biological clocks, rhythms, and oscillations : the theory of biological timekeeping. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Hage, M. L. (2017). Sabbath Healing.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2017/02/sabbath-healing.html

Swinton, J. (2018). Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship (Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability) (Reprint ed.). Baylor University Press.

Bowler, Kate Podcast (2019) John Swinton: The Speed of Love

https://katebowler.com/podcasts/john-swinton-the-speed-of-love/