Good morning…
Following the surface chatter of saying hello, catching up, settling in, we begin each class with few minutes of silence. Meeting outside to minimize COVID concerns has been marvelous this semester, just marvelous. The breeze picks up and dies down. The birds chit-chat then quiet down. An occasional loud truck lumbers by as we deepen down. Down is the motion of us breathing together with God, down into our gut, down into life’s Source.
After praying in silence, I add a few words.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going,” I quietly admitted yesterday. “I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.”
“But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you,” I continued a prayer written by Thomas Merton. “And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.”
“Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death,” my own voice embodied God’s truth. “I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
“The Merton Prayer” from his book Thoughts in Solitude was published in 1956. Still today ancient honesty moves us.
Desire. Our desire to please God, might it in fact please God?
Following. Thinking we are following God’s will does not mean we are actually doing so.
Trust. Might we learn to trust God, even though we seem to be lost and in the shadow of death?
With God always with us, our fears fall away because God never leaves us to face our perils alone.
I have always loved the saying, “She who sings prayers twice.” Surrounded by the cool of an autumn afternoon, intimately praying aloud with God, together we experienced another way to pray twice.
Jesus explains the mysterious phenomenon. “This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them” (Matthew 18:20, NCV). That, my friends, is pretty cool.
…Sue…
P.S. For those who prayed for our friend and her sixteen year old daughter who underwent cancer surgery in NYC yesterday, thank you for coming together in the powerful name of our living Lord. Our text string reveals God’s healing truth.
9:30 am yesterday – “She just went to surgery.”
5:36 pm – “Still in surgery.”
Soon after – “Just talked to surgeon. She is ok. They are finishing up.”
8:49 pm – “What a long day. She is up and talking.”
12:30 am today – “I am up and praying,” I responded. “Praying for you, your sweet daughter, and all of your special moments ahead.”
Jesus was with them. Jesus was with us. Jesus is here now, with you and with me. From afar, we have discovered another way of praying twice.
