Undoing Exile... Dare We Pray?

Micah 4:6-7, “’In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.  I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation” (NIV).

Again, from the book:  Illuminate, An Advent Experience, this is what I read, this morning: “Jesus teaches the importance of prayer in the midst of our brokenness… We are invited to hope in God and continue to pray with complete trust that God will transform us and our relationships” (Sheneman, 19).

Broken relationships are difficult, perhaps especially so during the holidays.  While I don’t think it would be responsible to equate the very real, physical exile of whole people groups from their native homes with the exile we feel in our hearts, caused by broken relationship; I do think there are some parallels we might draw, regarding our interaction with others.  In every way, when we have the opportunity and ability to restore right relationships, we should do so.

I fully recognize wide scale, systemic exile might be beyond the scope of what most of us can hope to repair.  We could, however, begin with our own families and then allow the effects to spread to our neighbors… our communities… strangers…  Because, let’s be real, brokenness can be found everywhere.

There are some key things that should be noted:

Prayer is messy.  It’s not a magical wish list that we hope might somehow be delivered to us, wrapped in shiny paper, topped with a beautiful bow.  That’s the other Christmas story.  Prayer most often incites transformation, and that transformation begins with us!  So if you’re going to pray, you might want to consider whether or not you actually want to change.  That’s the first part.

But I’m also looking at this Scripture and thinking about the odd language used… the idea that God brought people to grief and is now gathering them in.  If I’m honest, I don’t know exactly where to go with this, but I do know that I have, at least at times, brought people to grief, and the thought of humbling myself in order to now assemble them is overwhelming!  How might I do this?  How might we do this (goodness, it’s always easier in community)?  Who are the people I/we have exiled, and how can I/we now make it right?  These inquiries require pondering, because I do not know the answers!

Dare we pray?  I feel like it might be dangerous…  (#ButLessFearAndAllThat)

L.

Intentionality

Joseph’s story always feels a little rough to me.  This is part of why I have not had much to say, regarding the daily office, for several days.  There is so much abuse, persecution, and needless tragedy.  I struggle to wrap my mind around it, and as Joseph’s story begins to draw to a close, these words are haunting: 

Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (NIV).

Is it possible that this intense distress, over the course of a lifetime, was intentional?  Is it possible that God intended, all along, for Joseph, specifically, to be the ‘lucky one’ who must endure this narrative in order to bring redemption to the world, including Joseph’s very own abusers?  Often, when this passage is preached or taught, this is exactly what we say.  I’m not saying that, today.

Many versions of Scripture use the word “intended” in the translation, but the original Hebrew word here is actually חֲשָׁבָ֣הּ (chashavah), which means to think or to account… 

I love this, because it seems to get at the heart of what was going on.  Joseph’s brothers thought they could inflict this pain and suffering on Joseph and rid themselves of him, for their own sake.  But God looked at the situation and thought something good could still come of it.  God had an opinion, and then God worked with Joseph to account for the awful mess of his life.

Many things happened to Joseph, at the hands of others, over which he had no control.  But Joseph had a choice when it came to how he would respond to God’s nudge, and it appears that he responded in love, making the best choice possible in the given moment, far more often than not (maybe not always, but a lot).  God can use that!  And God did.

From Common Prayer, today, we have this quote:

“Help us, Lord, to see as you see : and to change what is into what ought to be.”

Let’s not turn a blind eye to the evil and suffering in the world.  It’s real.  But let’s also get out there and make every effort to do something about it.  Intentionality begins with a thought and an opinion about what is happening, but it ends with an account about what happens next!

L.

But Through Prayer

“There can be no way forward but through prayer.”

I feel sure these words aren’t originally mine, but they also are difficult to cite.

Contentment is full of irony.  I have always been somewhat impressed by Paul’s words in Philippians 4:10-15, “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.  Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.  Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;” (NIV).

I think this ranks right up there as one of those most often misinterpreted passages, because we equate contentment with uninhibited elation oozing from our pores or something.  That’s not contentment.  That’s actually probably closer to insanity.  It’s certainly not based in reality.  People have those kinds of experiences maybe a handful of times in their entire lives, if they’re lucky.  If you stop to think about the adrenaline rush and the subsequent crash, you’ll likely agree that it wouldn’t be advisable or enjoyable to live in a perpetual state of bliss.  Too much of (even) a good thing is still too much…

I don’t think Paul is implying that he has learned to be outlandishly jovial or to lose touch with reality, nor do I think he is indicating that he has found a way to get everything he wants or even everything he needs.  There is nothing in Paul’s words that makes me wonder if his ‘doing all things through Christ’ includes calling on the clouds to rain down elephants or magically growing strawberries on fig trees.  And yet this passage is often taught as either a ‘suck it up even when it sucks’ lesson or a challenge of the power constraints of the God of the universe.  I’m fairly certain both extremes neglect the point.

We almost always stop reading with verse 13.  Verse 15 is actually a significantly weird cutting off point in the daily office, ending with a semi-colon.  But I wonder if there is something to be learned from the words Paul speaks next… the words of standing in solidarity… the words of presence—of sharing trouble, of giving and receiving…

It might seem strangely disconnected, but I think these are also words of community, and all of this returns, full circle, to prayer… of God’s presence… of another kind of give and take…

Maybe that’s exactly why Psalm 17:6 makes an appearance, today, as well:

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer” (NIV).

The answer may not be exactly what we expect (or even hope for), but the hearing… the listening… the holding close… this is where contentment begins.  And we can’t move forward without a beginning.

 
L.