“Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, ‘Great is the LORD who delights in the welfare of his servant!’” (Psalm 35:27)

Weighed down by afternoon heaviness, I am conscious of the rumblings of my volcanic heart where hot lava spurts, smoke spreads, and dust descends in a hazy gloom.

Wounds within seep out in myriad ways; no one truly comprehends my ache but you. I shove them toward you; every one, you soothe and cleanse. Precious friend with gashes in your hands and side, you do not stick bandages on broken places.

You oversee and orchestrate all worlds visible to my naked eye and those beyond my shortsighted vision. You promise peace, and I hasten toward the sound of your voice in written Word. The rest I long for hovers in the background, entering for brief spells, retreating, eluding me. Fears gnaw like menacing mice, bite by bite.

Like that courageous shepherd boy turned warrior‐king I plead, “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!

Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation!” (Psalm 35:1-­‐3)

Sing over me as you promise; capture my full attention; submerge my troubled thinking with your strong and certain gaze. Dragon‐slayer that you are, brandish sword and spear, and conquer the restless stirrings in my complex heart.