A Hebrew Prayer—Psalm 116:7
Praying with Scripture
English
Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Hebrew
Transliteration
shoovi naph'shi lim-nu-chai'ki
Context of Prayer
The rest does not refer to God, but to what the mind of the psalmist had been, and could be again. David had passed through a season of harrowing distress where his soul had been agitated and terrified. In this prayer, David's reality was finally catching up to him, that against all odds, the Lord had delivered him. Now that danger was over he spoke to himself to resume his former tranquillity, calmness, peace, and freedom.
How to use Prayer
Life always disquiets our soul. Depending on the season the turmoil can be great or small, but regardless of our stress, our soul is disturbed nonetheless. I like to begin my prayer time with this prayer because it is addressed to me, not God. It acknowledges that God has already saved me, and it commands me to return to the מָנוֹחַ (manuach; resting place) where God meets with me.
Here is a liturgy you can try with this Hebrew prayer:
1. Say: shoovi naph'shi lim-nu-chai'ki
2. Do: set a timer to be still for 1 minute and listen for God. If your mind wanders, that's okay. Keep returning when you catch yourself. Or pray the words again when you catch yourself drifting. The Goal of stillness is first to hear the voice of God, but most importantly (if he does not speak) to train ourselves to be undistracted.
3. Give Thanks: simply say thank you. You don't have to make a list, God knows. But you can if you want to.
4. Say: Come with me, Lord.
—Pastor Alex Portillo
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