Held | Friday Week 10 | Psalm 34:17-19

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Hello, and welcome to Held, where we break open scripture using the ancient technique called Lectio Divina.

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Each day we read and meditate on sacred scripture while allowing quiet time to sit and listen to God's voice.

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There will be times in the podcast where I will instruct you to hit pause.

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It is important that you take however long you need during those periods.

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There is no need to rush Before we begin, we will start with our prayer to the Holy Spirit, followed by a prayer to Saint Gabriel Come, Holy Spirit.

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This week has held a lot of honesty about trials that don't resolve on our schedule.

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As we close it, meet whatever feels crushed or brokenhearted in me right now Let this psalm be a door, not just a reading.

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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Amen.

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St.

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Gabriel, messenger of God, you were entrusted with bringing God's word to Mary.

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Help me to be attentive to God's voice today.

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Help me to receive his word with the same openness and trust that Mary showed.

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Pray for me as I enter into this time of prayer.

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Amen.

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Today's scripture reading is Psalm 34, verses 17 through 20.

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When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.

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The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

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Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all.

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He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken So I'm gonna go ahead and read this for a second time, and this time I'm gonna, I'm gonna slow it down.

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I'm just gonna ask you to just be attentive and hear how God's speaking to you in these words When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit Many are the afflictions of the righteous But the Lord rescues them from them all.

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He keeps all their bones.

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Not one of them will be broken Now we're gonna take a moment and meditate on the scripture we just heard Again, what word or phrases catch your attention? How's the Lord speaking to you today in this? Where do you feel brokenhearted or crushed in spirit this week? What does it mean to you that God is described as near in that exact place? Don't try to solve anything.

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Simply notice what God may be drawing your attention toward Pause the podcast now and please take as long as you need Now we're gonna respond to God in prayer.

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Bring Him whatever this week has stirred up Ask him for the felt sense of his nearness, not just the idea of it Pause the podcast now, taking as much time as you need to pray Now, as we enter into the contemplation phase, I'd like to remind you that during this period of time of, of, of silence and of spending time in the nearness with God, our minds may wander, and that's okay.

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When it occurs, what I like to do is just a simple prayer to the Holy Spirit asking for His help to quiet my mind So I'm gonna ask you to just go ahead and, and just simply rest in God's presence.

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Be still, knowing that He is here with us So please pod-- So please pause the podcast now Staying in this contemplative state as long as you need This week we sat with James on Sunday, Paul on Monday, Isaiah on Wednesday, and now David.

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Different voices, one thread.

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Steadfastness is never wavering.

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It's returning again and again to a God who stays near even when the trial hasn't been lifted from us.

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Go forth carrying that nearness with you.

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Let it be the thing you offer to someone else who is still in the middle of their own trial this week.

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Be patient, be steady, be present.

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Go in peace and go share the love of Christ with the world around you.

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Until next time, may you always remember that you are held