“Rhythms of the Inner Life” by Howard Macy
- Longing
“As a doe longs for running streams, so longs my souls for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, the God of life.” (Psalm 42:1,2, Jerusalem Bible)
“I stretch out my hands, like thirsty ground, I long for you” (143:6)
“How happy those who … seek God with their whole heart, and doing no evil, walk in God’s ways” (119:2-3)
“God, you are my God, I am seeking you, my soul is thirsting for you, my flesh is longing for you, a land parched, weary and waterless; I long to gaze on you in the Sanctuary, and to see your power and glory” (63:1-4)
“How I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of Yahweh”‘ (122:1)
“A single day in your courts is worth more than a thousand elsewhere” (84:10)
“In God we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)
“Seek God’s face untiringly” (105:4)
“Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry! pity me! answer me! … My heart has said of you ‘Seek God’s face’, Yahweh I do seek your face. (27:7,8,9)
“Yahweh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger, most loving” (103:8)
“How happy those who … seek God with their whole heart’ (119:2)
- Waiting
“Be still before God, and wait patiently… (37:7)
“I waited and waited for Yahweh, now at last God has stooped to me and heard my cry for help” (40;1)
“Rest in God alone my soul! God is the source of my hope” (62:5)
“I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits for God, I rely on God’s promise, my soul relies on God more than a watchman on the coming of dawn” (130: 5,6)
“Be still and know that I am God” (46:10)
“Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet like a child in its mother’s arms, as content as a child that has been weaned. Israel, rely on Yahweh, now and for always” (131: 2,3)
“Those who hope in Yahweh will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40: 31)
“Wait for Yahweh; be strong and take heart and wait.” (27:14)
“God is the strength of my life” (27:1)
“Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and then thou wilt feel the principle of God to turn thy mind to the Lord God, whereby thou wilt receive his strength and power from whence life comes, to allay all tempests, against blusterings and storms.” George Fox.
‘The Sabbath is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord.” Abraham Heschel
“The interior life, that is, the inward life of the Spirit, is not a place that is taken by storm or violence. The inward kingdom, that realm within you is a place of peace. It can only be gained by love.” Madame Guyon.
- Awe
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims God handiwork; day discourses of it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge. No utterance at all, no speech, no sound that anyone can hear; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world” (19:1-4)
“I will sing of God’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
The heavens praise your wonders, 0 God, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with God? Who is like God among the heavenly beings? In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared. God is more awesome than all who surround him. 0 Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, 0 Lord and your faithfulness surrounds you.
The heavens are yours and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. You created the north and the south … Your arm is enbued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you; who walk in the light of your presence, 0 Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength” (89, NIV)
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man (and woman) that you are mindful of them, that you care for them? You made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor” (8:3-5)(NIV)
“Be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy” (Leviticus 11:45)
- Despairing
“Pity me Yahweh, I have no strength left, heal me … my soul is in utter torment. Yahweh … rescue my soul, save me” (6: 2-4)
“I am worn out with groaning … every night I drench my pillow and soak my bed with tears; my eye is wasted with grief…” (6:6,7)
“How much longer must I endure grief in my soul, and sorrow in my heart by day and by night?” (13:2)
“My God, my God, why have you deserted me? … I call all day, my God, but you never answer, all night long I call and cannot rest.” (22:1.2)
“Worn out with calling, my throat is hoarse, my eyes are strained, looking for my God” (69:3)
“Save me, God! The water is already up to my neck! … I have stepped into deep water and the waves are washing over me.” (69:1,2)
“Wake up, Lord! Why are you asleep? … Why do you hide your face, and forget we are wretched and exploited? (44: 23,24)
- Resting
“Rest in God alone, my soul! God is the source of my hope; with God alone for my rock, my safety, my fortress, I can never fall. Rest in God, my safety, my glory, the rock of my strength.” (62: 5,6)
“In peace I lie down and fall asleep at once, since you alone, Yahweh, make me rest secure” (4:8)
“I lift my eyes to the mountains: where is help to come from? help comes to me from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.” (121:1,2)
“Patiently all creatures look to you to feed them throughout the year; quick to satisfy every need, you feed them all with a generous hand. Yahweh, who is righteous, acts only out of love, standing close to all” (145: 15-18)
“I was pressed, pressed, about to fall, but Yahweh came to my help; Yahweh is my strength and my song, God has been my saviour” (118: 13,14)
“Yahweh is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? ” (27:1,2)
“My refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust” (91:2)
“Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in God” (27:14)
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” (23:1-4, NIV)
- Conversing
“Prayer is a response to the ceaseless outpouring love and concern with which God lays siege to every soul” Douglas Steere
“Yahweh, I invoke you all day, I stretch out my hands to you” (89:9)
“Yahweh, let my words come to your ears, spare a thought for my sighs. Listen to my cry for help” (5:1-2)
“Yahweh, in trouble I invoke you, and you answer my prayer” (86:7)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in them, they will bear much fruit … If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you,” (John 15:5, 7)
“Yahweh, teach me your way, lead me in the path of integrity” (27:11)
“I will instruct you, and teach you the way to go; I will watch over you and be your adviser” (32:8)
“God, examine me and know my heart, probe me and know my thoughts” (139:23)
“May the words of my mouth always find favor, and the whispering of my heart, in your presence, Yahweh” (19:14)
“I say this prayer to you Yahweh, for at daybreak you listen for voice; and at dawn I hold myself in readiness for you, I watch for you” (5:3)
“Yahweh, you listen to the wants of the humble, you bring strength to their hearts, you grant them a hearing, judging in favor of the orphaned and exploited.” (10:17,18)
“Search me, 0 God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (139:23,24, NIV)
- Celebrating
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord…” (96: 11-13, NIV)
“Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble and he rescued them from their sufferings… Let these thank Yahweh for his love, for his marvels on behalf of people” (107:6,8)
“God provides for all living creatures..” (136:25)
“I will bless Yahweh at all times, God’s praise shall be on my lips continually” (34:1)
“I rejoice in your promise, like someone on finding a vast treasure” (119:162)
“Joy for all who take shelter in you, endless shouts of joy. Since you protect them, they exult in you, those who love your name” (5:11)
“I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart; I recite your marvels one by one, I rejoice and exult in you, I sing praise to your name, Most High” (9:1,2)
“For the plundered poor, for the needy who groan, now will I act, says Yahweh. I will grant them the safety they sigh for.” (12:5)
“You will reveal the path of life to me, give me unbounded joy in your presence” (16:11)
“Always and everywhere … giving thanks to God” (Ephesians 5:20)
Self-Reflection of “Rhythms of the Inner Life” by Howard Macy
- Longing
What do I long for in my relationship with God this year?
How am I led to nurture the “life of longing” this year?
- Waiting
“In waiting, we learn to listen to God”. What does or can help me in waiting and listening to God in my daily life this year?
- Awe, Despairing, Resting, Conversing, Celebrating
Which of these motions of the inward life describe my spiritual life now?
Which describe where I would like to be?
How can I cooperate with the inward work of God during this coming year?
