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Psalm 34 illustrates God’s response to those who cry out for relief. Each of its 22 verses winds its way around praising God, what God has done to elicit that praise, and how God’s response has changed things for the petitioner. God rescues the righteous, those who are in right relationship with God, by following God’s commandments. When we take refuge in God, our lives are redeemed. Turning to God, we are renewed.

Take a moment to center yourself, to settle into yourself. Next, I think of an image or a place that gives me peace. Sometimes it’s the valley where I worked at my Bible camp, sometimes it’s on a beach by the ocean, sometimes it’s a little chapel with blue stained-glass windows. And as I picture my happy place, I let it wash over me. The peacefulness, the joy I felt when I was last there, and I bask in that moment. I do this until I feel ready to move on, breathing as deeply as I can comfortably manage.

And I talk to God, praying for the peace or rest that I need, asking God to help me.

This message is excerpted from “Those that cry out for rest and relief” by Jenna Pulkowski in the September 2018 Café online magazine.