“I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill. I have slept and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me. I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding me: arise, O Lord save me, O my God. For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners. Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.”
It is not the physical voice that cries out to the Lord, but the ten-stringed lyre of your heart: “Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery: with a canticle upon the harp” (Psalm 91:4). The ten strings are representative of the Ten Commandments, showing that a heart that sings, tuned by a righteous life, emits a tune of praise that is beautiful to the ears of Jesus: “Shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely” (Song 2:14). Thus it is in the cry of your voice, with prayer coming from the heart being of greater importance than the words themselves, and it is a call that truly rings from the heart that the Almighty Three hears: “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice” (Psalm 129:1-2). He hears from His holy mountain, that is, His place as the greatest of all that is. Even He who stands above the angels, above time, above every passing thing of this world, comes down to hear the cries of your little heart: “He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters” (Psalm 17:17), and is always attentive to what your heart is doing and when it needs His love. Both David in the uprising of Absalom and Jesus in the betrayal of Judas went into a type of sleep, Christ that of death and David that of exile, showing that this sleep is a humble accepting of trials and sufferings. It is a call to fall asleep to pleasure, comfort, and ease, and to embrace the cross with love. It is in times of suffering that Jesus is most manifest through you; even though you may not be able to feel his presence, he is shining through you like light through a window: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) when you suffer for love: “For unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29). The ensuing rising up, then, is one of pure love, for when trials strip away all else, love will remain. Seeing the might of the love of God, and how it has upheld you through grave afflictions, fear melts away, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). An army of devils could not break this bond, nor could the persecution of nations: “fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28), for these cannot quench love: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song 8:7). Therefore, with this confidence, call out to the Lord your God to arise and be your help at all times: “Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly” (Psalm 45:1). For He will remove the fangs from the serpent, that you will not be infected with the bites of sin, though you still may be buffeted by temptations. All that the forces of darkness can do to you is bark, but cannot bite you and cause harm to your soul. Though your understanding may be filled with gruesome images, temptations to despair or lust or hate, love still remains, and every renunciation of these temptations is another act of love that deepens your bond. The image of teeth may also be representative of words, which also lie within the mouth. St. Paul exhorts you: “Let no man deceive you with vain words” (Ephesians 5:6), that is, with anything that is not of sound doctrine, upright correction, or to make you fall more in love with Jesus. These words have no power, and God will break these words in your life that you may cling to His words of love: “Thy teeth as a flock of sheep, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them” (Song 6:5). That is, every word from the Lord is calming, pure, filled with meaning, and with no emptiness, for each is a word of wisdom and love. The Psalmist finally says that salvation is of the Lord, for it is His love for you that has rescued you from the pit: “Let us therefore love God, because God hath first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Finally, you can breathe, recognizing God’s grace working in your soul and in the world today, and admit with confidence: “Thy blessing, Lord, is upon Your people.”