This week's meditation

February 26
Psalm 51:10–12
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

In the centre of the psalm, the writer offers this imploring prayer.

In Hebrew, the words for breath, wind, and spirit are the same: ruach. The ruach of God hovered over the pre-creation waters. God blew ruach into the nostrils of the first people, and they lived.

The body needs a ruach. We need God's gift of life every moment, or we cease to function.

When do you feel as if the ruach of God is missing from your body?

Prayer
Loving God, our best shepherd, as we begin again this Lenten journey, give us the grace to open ourselves to your full care. Overcome our fear of being rejected with our desire to be truly known and loved. Move in us by the power of your Spirit, breathing fresh life into our souls. May we know that you are closer than every breath we take and that your ruach not only sustains us, but also calls us forward with the strength to walk the Lenten road. Amen.