Wonderings--January 27

This morning I had a hard time bowing my head to God, and I bet that you have had the same trouble from time to time in your life with Christ. . . I bet you have had mornings like mine before and if you have, perhaps together we can see a solution in a familiar prayer. 

If I was going to offer a defining word or trait for this week as a whole it would be: new possibilities. 

Every day this week I have been presented with new ideas, new possibilities, new dreams from God as I listen and dwell with people of my community. When that happens, whether it is in the church or not, our minds begin to attack the 'dreams' as a way to give them life. We seek ways to make those dreams or possibilities part of our ministry moving forward. 

New calls are made. New emails sent in anticipation. Connections are made and reinforced; build one upon another. It's all so exciting and revelatory. Breakfast stops being the morning meal that sets up the day and becomes a time of brainstorming and vision where we can't get that 'new thing' out of our heads. 

And yet, God asks that we find space to sit, dwell, and be with Him. . . But our minds our racing, our hearts are lifted, buoyed, by the new thing that God is doing in us or around us to such a degree that we might be tempted to put aside our prayer time so we can attack the task at hand. If we are that excited we might find it a challenge to draw close to God and pray. . . 

As I thought about how I/we find space to pray when God is exciting us with new ideas and new work, I found the following concept presented to me. I invite you to sit with these words as you recognize the discussion of the Lord's Prayer: 

" “Give us today our daily bread.” In other words, help us live in the present tense. Let us not be so burdened by guilt or scarred by hurt that we live in the past, and let us not be so anxious about the unknown or driven by a particular goal that we become prisoners of the future. Give us enough, says the prayer. Don’t give us so much that we don’t know sensibly what to do with it or so little that we can’t see past our own need. Make us attentive, alert, present. Whenever you see a person who’s so sleepy or so angry they can’t hold your gaze you see a person who can’t stay in the present because they’re overwhelmed by the past. Whenever you see a person who can’t hold your gaze because they’re fumbling for their cell phone or fiddling with their appearance you see a person who can’t stay in the present because they’re distracted by the future. “Give us.” That’s a request to be given the grace to live in the present."

As I finished reading those words I closed my eyes and felt that familiar twinge in my mind. It was the familiar presence of God smiling at the good things that He is doing in my life. I bet that same joy can spring up in you as you reflect on the "Give us" phrase. . . I wonder what the feeling from God might look like and how it might shape the rest of your week? 

Blessings

Rev. Derek