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Vigils at 4:15. Psalm 63: 'my soul thirsts for you.' My soul mostly thirsted for coffee. I offered Him both, and I think He took them.

Praying a psalm that isn't mine

At the Office this morning we had Psalm 88, the darkest one in the whole psalter. It doesn't even end in hope. The last line is 'darkness is my closest friend.' And I felt wonderful. Good sleep, sunny morning, the bread came out well. Singing it felt almost dishonest. Afterward I asked our novice master about it. He said: 'You aren't praying it for yourself today. Somewhere right now someone is living that psalm and can't pray at all. You're lending them your voice.' I've thought about little else since. Every psalm I don't feel is someone else's psalm. I just have to show up and sing it for them.