An Opportunity for Faith

On Sunday, we explored a parable of Jesus about our “need to pray always and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1). On the theme of prayer, enjoy this guest reflection by recently-moved and much missed member, Shawn Blythe. As always, Shawn’s insights are, well, highly insightful!

I worry – a lot.  

I worry about things that I feel that I shouldn’t worry about.  Then I worry about the fact that I worry about things that I feel I shouldn’t worry about.  At the heart of it, most of my worries are about avoiding hardship.  I don’t want illness, financial stress, death, home repair disasters or anything else that would interrupt a pleasant stroll through life.  I would rather avoid the path of Stephen, the sufferings of Job or the persecution of Paul.  I would rather skip more mundane inconveniences as well.  I don’t want my car to break down, my roof to leak or my oven to stop working.

Recently we moved to Delaware and for a few months I was the reluctant owner of two homes – one of which was vacant in New Jersey.  You can imagine the scenarios that a worrier like me conjured up.  What if a tree falls on the house?  What if the furnace stops working and the pipes freeze?  What if squatters (humans, squirrels, raccoons or anything else) take occupy my residence in my absence?

Of course, all (ok, perhaps some) of these concerns are perfectly legitimate.  And whether legitimate or not they inevitably find their way into my daily prayer time.   For several months the desire that my home would remain in the condition I left it in when we moved was number one on the prayer list.  There were many days when it was the only thing on the prayer list – not because there was nothing else to pray for – but rather because it had simply squeezed out all other supplications.

But being a life-long Christian, I am not naïve to the supremacy of God’s plan over my earthly desires.  I have not forgotten the example of Christ when He prayed in the garden “not my will, but thine”.  So, I am quite diligent about casually throwing in that same phrase at the end of my prayers.  It is the obligatory salutation required to make my prayer more palatable.  It is a brief, reluctant concession that I make without very much conviction behind it.  Yes, yes, yes – I am well aware that God’s plan may run counter to my desire for smooth sailing.  But if we could just focus on mitigating my list of concerns this time (and to be honest, every time), that would be great.

In the midst of one of these prayers, something occurred to me.  It was not a new thought and likely something that each of you have acknowledged yourselves at one time or another.  But it got my attention more than usual this time. 

If I genuinely believe in God’s sovereignty, why wouldn’t I welcome virtually any event?  

Why wouldn’t I recognize any roadblock or setback as a sign that shouts, “Pay attention – something important is happening here!”  I am not suggesting that everything that happens is necessarily a good thing, but certainly the possibility exists that something positive is happening whether I see it or not.
My mind immediately went to the potential for frozen pipes, and the resulting free-flowing water in places where water should not be free-flowing.  What if there is a plumber and home repair expert who is desperate for business?  What if their next grocery run depends on repairing my home?  What if they are diligently praying for work?  

I also thought of Paul’s imprisonment.  I am quite sure (and Paul confirms this) that he prayed to be free.  He did not find his imprisonment necessarily conducive to what he felt his ministry was.  But if he were not confined, would we have his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon?  Perhaps he would have simply visited them instead – with the result being a shorter New Testament with less guidance on what it means to be a Christian or how a Christian church should manage difficult situations.  Countless millions over thousands of years have benefited from the fact that Paul was unable to travel and instead relied on written correspondence to communicate with those three churches alongside his friend Philemon.

But perhaps the most relevant Biblical example is Baruch.  As you may remember, Baruch was not only Jeremiah’s scribe but also completed legal transactions for Jeremiah and was occasionally his spokesperson when he was unable to deliver his prophecies in person.  But the relevant part of Baruch’s life is in Jeremiah 45.  Baruch complains to God that his life is just a little too difficult.  God responds with a reminder that Baruch is being swept along in events much larger than himself.  Baruch finds himself among a people who have turned away from God -and therefore will inevitably share their fate even if he doesn’t share their sentiment.

I am certainly not suggesting that squirrels in my attic are on the same level as Paul’s imprisonment or Baruch’s suffering, but a perspective that places God’s sovereignty as primary and my plans as secondary changes the response.  This is no longer a deviation from what I want – but rather it is the path on which I am being led.  It might not be pleasant, it might be impossible to understand, and it may simply be the tragic results of living in a fallen world – but it is where God has placed me in this moment.  And my response to that moment tells God – much more than my words – everything there is to know about my faith.

And so, I will try to focus my prayer life on finding my place and path through the rubble that seems to clutter life’s landscape rather than a constant wish that the road be swept clear.  I will certainly not exclude my requests for smooth-sailing – but try to position them more appropriately.  I will try to remember that I live in a fallen world and dreadful things happen.  Sickness, death, crime, unfairness, broken things and broken people are a normal part of this life.  My focus needs to be on my response rather than on the event itself.

Grace & Peace, 
Shawn Blythe