Even if he doesn't

Daniel 3:18 But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O King. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue that you set up.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, three Israelite youth who are in captivity in Babylon, are about to be thrown into the fiery furnace. They are among the lucky ones in captivity, because they have been recognized for their intelligence and abilities, and are being educated along with the other court wise men and are fed the King's diet. They have a lot of privilege in this situation, but their dedication to the One True God, Jahweh, has not been diminished. They know God can rescue them from the fiery furnace, but they're not expecting it. They will follow God, through the fire if they must, but they will honor God above all else, and not deviate from the path they are called to.

It's humbling. I don't have much doubt what I would do if faced with a fiery furnace -- Yes, sir, where should I kneel to worship this statue of yours, these other gods you have chosen? All God asks of me really is to be faithful in small ways in the face of the minor difficulties that make up my life, to rejoice in his gifts, to follow his path and to lay my anxieties at his feet. There are no fiery furnaces, or lions and gladiators in front of me, not even some of the more serious worries of people today who are getting laid off with families to support, or losing their houses. No, there are just the every day anxieties of bills to be paid, sick relatives to attend to, trying to earn a sufficient living and doing what lies in front of me. Stories like this, humbling as they are, give me the perspective and backbone to carry on, to see what is in the glass, not just what is missing. These mornings when I feel like pulling the covers over my head and staying in bed all day, I can step out in faith and confidence that I can do the small things life has presented me with.

Prayer: Dear God, You have given me so much and what you ask is all that I have and all that I am. Give me the courage to be fully the person you are calling me to be as I address all the complexity that life offers. Amen.

All the Experts

Job 12:1 I'm sure you speak for all the experts, and when you die there'll be no one left to tell us how to live.

Job is speaking sarcastically to his friend Zophar, who has come to provide comfort in Job's distress, and provides no comfort at all. When things aren't going well, it seems there is no shortage of advice. But is that what people need in their times of trouble? Do we who give advice really think they don't know what to do? That people can't figure out for themselves how to proceed? When tragedies happen, like they have happened to Job, most people know what to do; the difficulty is in figuring out how to be with whatever has happened, and all the feelings that are stirred up. So the problem then becomes, for those who visit the afflicted one, how do I sit with all the stuff that comes up for me in the face of this tragedy? Because if I really see the truth of it, I have to admit it could happen to me, too, and that's downright scary. To get around that, I make it somehow the other person's fault. In Job's day it was, "you must have sinned, you must have done something wrong for God to punish you this way." Today, it's, "they must not have eaten the right things, didn't have the right habits, they must have done something to invite this illness or tragedy." By blaming the victim, I can convince myself that their fate is under their control, and therefore, I won't have to face whatever it is because I'll do it right. Because the scariest thing to admit is that we have no control over our fates, ultimately, none at all. And how to sit with that is what the spiritual path is all about.

Prayer: Dear God, You have created a world for us that is full of dangers and uncertainty. Help us place our trust in You to get us through whatever we have to get through in this life without surrendering to the numbness of fear. Amen

I'm Not Through With You

Jeremiah 46:10 But it's not your day. It's the Master's, me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies--the day when I have it out with my enemies.

This verse caught me up, aroused in me such a sense of vulnerability, of being out of control, at the mercy of such powerful forces. In Jeremiah's time, it was the Babylonian army being used as God's instrument; today, it's the economy, as well as so much else that is going on in the world and my life. And there is this aspect of judgment, here, too, unforeseen consequences to deregulation, improper mortgages, obtuse investment instruments, the heady greed of prosperity which never satisfies but keeps people striving for more, more, more. I get it. I get caught up in it, too. I love the see the numbers go up in my stock accounts--and now I have to watch them plummet and seesaw. All that lust for money turns to panic that I won't have enough. My economic chickens are definitely coming home to roost!

So what keeps me grounded? I remember the last time the stock market took such a tumble. On October 19, 1987, the Dow dropped 25% (it was at 2000 at the time) and I remember this, not because I was paying attention to the stock market, but because that was the day my beloved husband, father of my only son, was diagnosed with lung cancer. That day was the beginning of his 6 month journey into death and the tearing apart of the family I had waited so long and eagerly for. I couldn't have cared less about the stock market. I knew what was important: him and our fragile family. And when I look back and see all that I lost -- and gained -- through his death, and remember how Jesus carried me through that difficult time, I know I can get through whatever these difficult times have in store for me because God is with me. As long as I walk His Paths, I can deal with whatever happens. As long as She is my foundation, I can withstand the storms. And if I have any doubt, Jeremiah has these words of encouragement: "But I won't finish you off. I have more work to do on you"

Prayer: Dear God, You have given me so many blessings. Open my heart in compassion to all who suffer during these disastrous times and lead me to a new way of living Your call that I may embody Your loving Presence in the world in a transformative way. Amen.

Things Will Get Worse

Jeremiah 45:5 So forget about making any plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better.


What an eerie echo of today’s mood! Jeremiah is giving God’s word to his assistant, Baruch, after the Babylonian army has taken the kingdom of Judah into exile and devastated the land. Today we are dealing with an economic meltdown whose effects are just beginning to tipple out to the economy. Both situations are unprecedented; greed and corruption also played a role in each. What is God’s advice? Don’t make plans.

I find myself sitting quietly a lot, doing what needs to be done, but not thinking too far ahead. It seems a good time for trust in God. There’s not much I can do anyway, except worry, and that’s no help. So I throw my lot in with god, my rock, my foundation, my salvation. I stay present with God in the now, keeping my thoughts focused on just the next step. I trust that whatever happens I’ll be able to deal with it, with God’s help. I pray and open my heart in compassion for all those who are already suffering far more than I am and I rest in hope for a brighter day ahead. We will get through this. I am sure our lives will be changed, that we will be changed and I pray god’s grace will help us all find a way for the change we are undergoing to be for a new and better way of being in our communities, our country and our world. Crisis is a time of danger and opportunity. I know we all see the danger. I pray that we, and our leaders, also see the opportunity.

Prayer: Dear God, Our country, indeed our world, is going through a time of enormous transition. Help us and our leaders discern Your Guiding Hand taking us to a better way. Help us re-envision our country to better conform to our mission of freedom and justice for all. Amen.

Take heart!

1Chronicles 28:20 David continued to address Solomon: “Take charge! Take heart! Don’t be anxious or get discouraged. God, my God, is with you in this; he won’t walk off and leave you in the lurch. He’s at your side until every last detail is completed for conducting the worship of God.

David has just handed his young son, Solomon, an enormous project: the building of the Temple for God. David has stockpiled materials and developed extensive plans, in response to God’s divine communication, and they are elaborate. I can only imagine that Solomon was completely overwhelmed. I know that I get that way frequently, regularly. Life in all of its complexity often seems overwhelming! And I can think of no other encouragement as helpful as this (plus a good nap): that God is at my side.

God is not in the forsaking business. We humans, frail and errant, often find we cannot follow through on what we intended. All of us have at times been on the receiving end of that – and, if we are honest, probably the giving end as well. We’re doing the best we can, but sometimes we just can’t follow through. God never fails. We may feel lost, but God is there. When everyone else deserts you, God takes your hand. So when I, inevitably, get anxious, or discouraged, I take the time to stop and connect with God, to remember that God abides in me as I abide in God, and to lean on God in whatever way I can. ‘Don’t worry,’ God tells me, ‘we’ll get through this.’

Prayer: Dear God, As I move forward in my intention to reclaim my space, the project seems absolutely overwhelming at times. Remind me of your presence in everything I do, that I may call on your strength when mine fails, and find your hope when I am discouraged. And through it all, keep me always grateful for your presence in my life. Amen.

Who's in charge?

1Samuel 13:9 So Saul took charge. “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering.

Saul is waiting for Samuel to come and officiate at the sacrifices so he can take his army and attack the Philistines, who are gathering in force. The seven days appointed have come and Samuel still isn’t there, and Saul is getting anxious because the longer he waits, the more men run off from his armies in fear. So he goes ahead, and loses God’s favor on his kingship. The problem here it seems to me, is that Saul has stepped out of his role. He has taken charge. As King, he is in charge of the battle strategies and leading his men, but Samuel is the priest, the prophet, the intermediary between Israel and God. And Saul steps into that role with no knowledge or background or understanding, and against God’s explicit instructions because of his own anxieties. So what is it that Saul doesn’t get? He doesn’t get that Samuel anointed him, at God’s bidding; that God is in charge, and can rout the Philistines with only two men if necessary (which happens on the very next page, with Saul’s son Jonathon, who really does get it); and that his job is to lead the people as their king, not as their priest, to obey God in all things and to stick with what he knows. All of this leads me to wonder, where am I stepping out of what God calls me to? Where in my life am I taking charge of what God needs to be in charge of? Am I responding to my own anxiety instead of listening to the voice of God and trusting? Do I act out of fear instead of faith, making foolish and precipitous choices just as Saul did? Or do I see my fear for what it is, and refuse to allow it to take over and push me into action which does not represent God’s call?

Prayer:

Dear God, Anxiety is a potent force in my life, and I know it can push me into doing things that aren’t right, just to get it over with. Help me recognize and accept my anxiety for what it is -- fear of the future or of the unknown -- and use it as a reminder to turn to you in confidence and faith. Amen