Good morning…
As we head into Holy Week (tomorrow is Palm Sunday), I think Henri Nouwen’s meditation from yesterday provides powerful perspective.
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DAILY MEDITATION | MARCH 26, 2021 – Jesus’ Hiddenness
I don’t think you’ll ever be able to penetrate the mystery of God’s revelation in Jesus until it strikes you that the major part of Jesus’ life was hidden and that even the “public” years remained invisible as far as most people were concerned. Whereas the way of the world is to insist on publicity, celebrity, popularity, and getting maximum exposure, God prefers to work in secret. You must let that mystery of God’s secrecy, God’s anonymity, sink deeply into your consciousness because, otherwise, you’re continually looking at it from the wrong point of view. In God’s sight the things that really matter seldom take place in public. . . . Maybe, while we focus our whole attention on the VIPs and their movements, on peace conferences and protest demonstrations, it’s the totally unknown people, praying and working in silence, who make God save us yet again from destruction.
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Might we be part of the totally unknown people praying and working in silence as God saves more and more of us day after day?
“Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners,” said Jesus. “Believe me, they’ve already received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:5-6, TPT).
The footnote for verse six reads this: Or “Go into your inner room [storehouse], close the door, and pray.” This “inner room” can also be a metaphor for praying from the heart, from our innermost being, our storehouse.
This Holy Week, may we – totally unknown people – go in, close the door, and pray, learning to love like Jesus from our heart’s inner room.
…Sue…
P.S. If you are in the Atlanta area and feel drawn to worship in community:
