My Bridge Over Troubled Water

I have had another instance of amazing coincidence, which is just another way of saying God consciousness. I have a time of prayer and meditation at the beginning of the day. Sometimes, I listen to music from my Ipod during this time. This morning, my Ipod was in the car Mindy took to work. Hers was left here. So I plugged it into the speakers and pushed "Play."

About ten minutes into my prayer time, I was asking for God's guidance and for clarity of vision (a common prayer for me). Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs" had just finished. In that brief moment between songs, I was concurrently filled with tranquility and God-consciousness. My attention turned to the Ipod just as Johnny Cash's recent version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" began. The clarity of the moment, the words of the song, and the sound of Johnny Cash's voice combined to create a God-presence that almost made me sob.

If God spoke with a human voice (which I am sure he does frequently), I am sure it would sound like Johnny Cash's. I am reprinting the words to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" below, as I learned this morning that it is a terribly appropriate description of my concept of God. I had never thought of the relationship described in the song as God-man. I had always assumed it was man-man or man-woman. Paul Simon is a brillant lyricist, but I always thought he was a little fruity. Mia culpa.

Here are the words:

When you' re weary feeling small
When tears are in your eyes I'll dry them all
I'm on your side oh when times get rough
And friends just can t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you re down and out
When you re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you ooh
I'll take your part oh when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
Oh if you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

It is near-impossible to convey a moment such as this in words, but I hope that you have your own moments of certain God-consciousness.

[By the way, if you have the audio, that haunting female voice is Fionna Apple.]