Recent weeks have been filled with sadness and disturbing news. It takes courage these days to pay attention to the daily news cycle with any level of objectivity and thoughtful awareness. Which story has grabbed your attention? The story of another hurricane striking the Gulf Coast; reports of virus clusters throughout the UNC system; the process of education administrators, teachers, students (and their parents) returning to class – some in person, but most through virtual platforms; or another police-involved shooting?
These are just a few stories, and it’s all overwhelming. On top of it all, there are the messages coming from two weeks of national political conventions. In the words of Psalm 4:6, “Who will show us any good?”
The words of Psalm 4 provide a helpful tool for taking a pause. I can relate to the Psalmist’s plea for the Lord to shine upon us in this moment and upon all the deep needs our society is struggling to face. “Let your kindness, Lord, shine brightly on us.”
The struggles that are dominating the news also challenge me to turn to the reflections of modern saints who impacted history in the past century, when times were even more challenging. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of those saints. He was a pastor who became famous for his work to resist the Nazi Third Reich, and to lead German Christians to stand up for the marginalized. He was executed as a result, but even from his prison cell he wrote about the power of God’s grace to affect change. His daily effort to reflect on God’s presence made him a light in the darkness to the guards and other prisoners. Recent events make his writings very relevant.
Bonhoeffer reminds me that setting aside daily time to focus on God’s presence, to discern what is good and true and life giving, provides a way to see what is truly needed to act through the grace of God. I cannot begin to imagine what it would take to spend two years as a political prisoner in a Nazi prison for teaching fellow Christians to resist an evil government. Yet somehow, he managed to write some of his most important works from behind prison bars, while his world collapsed.
One such work is his poem, “Who Am I?” It was first published in English in 1953 (Letters and Papers from Prison). He describes the daily experience of guards and prisoners struggling for a source of his hope and light. And his own struggle to figure out how to respond, often losing track of his own self. It is largely about the questions of his soul. “Who am I? They would tell me. I would step from my cell’s confinement – calmly, cheerfully, firmly – like a squire from his country-house. Who am I? They would tell me. I would talk to my warders freely and friendly and clearly, as though it were mine to command.”
As I ponder this moment, with Psalm 4:6-8 in one hand and Bonhoeffer’s poem in the other, I find a conversation with God. The kind of prayerful reflection that is best served by being alone on a mountain overlook, surrounded by the sounds of nature and a breeze rustling through the trees. It would take the whole day for such a trip, and there is too much in my schedule for that. Instead, I will take a long walk from my home through downtown Mount Airy and back. Praying for the homes and businesses and all the people they represent as I go.
I will consider the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting teachers and students, businesses and community groups of every size and shape. I will pray about the first responders and the people in the path of Hurricane Laura – all trying to avoid harm with the added challenge of coronavirus exposure. I will give specific reflection to the college students and educators I know who are trying to make sense of the upheaval of this semester. And I will ask the Lord to grant me insight to ponder the loss and pain found in the story of another moment of violence and police-involved shooting.
Psalm 4 concludes that despite all the things happening in the world, it is God who is able to place gladness in our hearts; it is God who provides a place to dwell in safety. So, I pray for God’s safety – for the teachers, students, first-responders, and protesters. Bonhoeffer’s poem concludes that he is a victim of his own lonely questions, and that only God knows “who I am.” So, I pray, for each neighbor and each political official, to be grounded in God. And I encourage you to join me in praying often for one another as we seek God’s light.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
Be First to Comment