Pastoral Thought--July 2

I was reading a selection from Andre Louf, a Belgium writer from the 20th century, this morning. He is an experienced teacher of prayer who belongs to a spiritual group sometimes called the Trappists. His focus is two-fold: teaching the church to pray and living a life of simplicity. Both fit nicely together in the church. While this selection that I am citing is from his small book, Teach us to Pray, the implications of these words resound in many places in the church and its ministry. Louf writes: 

“Authentic prayer can never be learnt from someone else. It has its own instructor within it. Prayer is God’s gift to him who prays.” 

I wonder if there are more aspects to your spiritual life could be substituted for “Authentic prayer?”

In seminary, one of my education professors, Dr. Gibbs, said that an expert is someone who lives more than 50 miles away from you and your church. What my professor is saying is that we do not need to search to the furthest reaches of creation to find an expert on a specific topic, we just need to look a county or so away. He said this with a bit of tongue-in-cheek of course. But I think his point is taken. Rather than look to God for the daily instruction that we need with our faith, we tend to look down the street, or in the popular mega-church, or on social media, or in a book that comes highly recommended (that last one hits me rather personally). 

I don’t need to call someone from Pittsburgh presbytery or Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery to teach me about being a Christian in this context. Instead, God is already present enough, and willing enough, to teach me everything that I need to learn about practicing my faith continually. God’s revelation is available continually for me, and for you, if we are willing to go to God. All that I have to do is seek that revelation and learning out from God. 

So why do we look for someone to teach us about _____? (Fill in the blank for yourself). If God’s presence is enough to solve any problem, answer any question, reveal the hidden meaning behind everything that you come across daily, then what does that say about our faith walk and our relationship with God?  

Blessings

Rev. Derek