{"id":12918,"date":"2020-04-01T20:55:24","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T00:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=12918"},"modified":"2025-08-20T13:41:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T17:41:15","slug":"a-psalm-from-the-scatterbrained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=12918","title":{"rendered":"A Psalm from the Scatterbrained"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m feeling scatterbrained this week. I’m trying to focus and failing. Tonight I was trying to get to working on my Psalms book again and just going nowhere.<\/p>\n

That’s when I thought: I want more example Psalms. To show that you can use these forms to pray and it really helps, because they direct your thoughts. Why not write a Psalm Prayer about it?<\/p>\n

I’ve done Laments<\/a>. But tonight I tried a Penitential Psalm. [Since writing this, I decided to call them Psalms of Confession.] Because I’m pretty sure it’s my own fault I’m getting worried and distracted. I’m not trusting God; I’m trying to figure things out myself.<\/p>\n

A Penitential Psalm has pretty much the same form as a Lament, but you ask God for mercy in the address to God and the complaint part talks about how bad things have gotten because of what you’ve done, so it’s also confession. (See Psalms 6, 38, and 51.)<\/p>\n

Let me review the parts:
\n1) Address to God
\n2) Complaint
\n3) Confession of Trust
\n4) Petition
\n5) Words of Assurance
\n6) Vow to Praise<\/p>\n

Okay, I tried not to edit too much and just pray it through, so this doesn’t pretend to be polished. But here goes:<\/p>\n

A Psalm from the Scatterbrained<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, have mercy on me,
\naccording to your unfailing love.
\nLook on my situation and have compassion;
\nsee my failings and grant me grace.<\/p>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in a pandemic,
\nand the world has turned upside-down.
\nI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s normal,
\nand I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how to plan.
\nMy thoughts are bouncing around my brain
\nlike ping-pong balls.
\nI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m having trouble focusing,
\ndistracted by each new announcement or speculation.<\/p>\n

My work serving the public has come to a halt.
\nHelping people in person spreads germs.
\nSo now we look for ways to help
\nwhile keeping everyone at a distance.
\nI write reviews;
\nI read those journals that were stacking up.
\nWill I learn about customer service
\nwhile staying away from customers?<\/p>\n

What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem? As an introvert,
\nbeing at home should give me focus.
\nBut instead, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m scatterbrained.<\/p>\n

I want to know what to expect,
\nhow to plan,
\nwhat date to schedule the make-up programs
\nand when the books are due.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s out of my hands.
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s out of my hands.
\nWash those hands free of germs
\nand free of holding the world.<\/p>\n

Lord, is this what it takes
\nto show me my plans are butterflies?
\nDoes it take a pandemic
\nfor me to realize I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not in control?<\/p>\n

You do see the future.
\nYou do watch over your children.
\nIf you see a sparrow fall,
\nthen you know today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death count.
\nAnd you are there.
\nAnd you gently bear each soul to heaven.<\/p>\n

You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve told us that riches are fleeting.
\nYou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve told us our life is a breath.
\nDoes it take a pandemic
\nto make us understand?<\/p>\n

Lord, walk with your children.
\nForgive us when we run ahead.
\nHold our hands through the dark fearful chasm
\nand carry us safely out of the fire.<\/p>\n

Lord, do not forsake us!
\nShow yourself by our sides.
\nCome quickly to help us
\nand grant us peace and strength.<\/p>\n

We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how this pandemic will end.
\nWe don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what our lives will look like next season.
\nBut we know you will be with us
\nand show us new joys on the other side.<\/p>\n

The day will come
\nwhen we again shake hands with new friends
\nand throw our arms around old friends.<\/p>\n

The time will come
\nwhen we again meet as a choir
\nto join our voices in praises to God,
\nand lift our voices together to our Mighty Fortress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m feeling scatterbrained this week. I’m trying to focus and failing. Tonight I was trying to get to working on my Psalms book again and just going nowhere. That’s when I thought: I want more example Psalms. To show that you can use these forms to pray and it really helps, because they direct your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,55,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotional-thoughts","category-praying-with-the-psalmists","category-psalms-of-confession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12918"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14227,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12918\/revisions\/14227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}