I Place My Trust Only in You, Episode 46
Here's 'I Place My Trust Only in You', Episode 46 of Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by thirdspace coaching in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living.
You can join our members-only facebook group here to watch live and join in the lively comment conversation on this episode. You can also watch previous episodes there, and on our YouTube channel.
This conversation begins with Norman Fischer's Zen-inspired translation of an ancient Hebrew poem, most commonly known in our culture as 'Psalm 16'. Norman has done amazing work on bringing out the simplicity and beauty of words, revealing the deep possibilities of these poems so often obscured by flowery and complex translations, and in this poem he points into a topic we've been exploring for some weeks on Turning Towards Life - the ways in which we might develop the kind of faith in life that can sustain us through the inevitable difficulties we face without us turning away.
I Place My Trust Only In You (Psalm 16)
Protect me from fear
For I place my trust only in you.
My soul has said "You are my guardian
Sole foundation of my happiness
And I will find my delightIn all that is yours on earth"
As for all that shuts you out -
Great will be their sorrow
I will not pour out their offerings
Nor call their names - even in my dreams.
You, you, only you
Are my share and my cup
You have drawn my lot
And it has fallen out agreeably
Lovely indeed is my estate
My heritage is pleasant to me
I bless you who brought me to this day
And even at night in the trying times
My trembling body is tethered to you
Your presence is always before me
In all the deeds of my hand
I will not be shaken from it
So my heart rejoices
My spirit is glad
And my body rests secure
For you will not abandon my soul to darkness
You will not suffer me to be overwhelmed in terror
You will teach me the path toward life
Your presence is my sweetest joy
Your right hand is my chief delight
Always
– Zen-inspired translation by Norman Fischer
Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash