WATCHWORD:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it[c] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:10-15
Meditation:
Safe, Part 1:
(Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago.)
Safe. Such a little word. We know what it means in baseball and in banks. When we use it to describe our sense of presence, it strongly implies physical safety. It is a little like security, but a bit closer to peace. Safe.
David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager have written a beautiful, special song, “The Prayer“, which captures the meaning and importance of a spiritual presence, which, by its very nature, is part and parcel of being “safe”:
I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go, and help us to be wise, in times when we don’t know.
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way, lead us to a place, guide us with your grace. To a place where we’ll be safe.
That song speaks to us of our insecurity and our need to believe and trust God. To believe that God is in charge, that He loves us, and more, He leads us. In subtle ways, in real ways, in ways that we are unaware. Those everyday “little miracles”, those “coincidences”, that cause us to marvel, “how did that happen?” The lucky chance. The unexpected smile. The times we felt blessed by the beauty of nature, of a seascape, of mountains, of flowers, or the giggle of a small child, or, simply, the spontaneous love of family. How did that happen?
“The Prayer” opens us to special ways to consider our Higher Power. “I pray you’ll be our eyes and watch us where we go…” Genesis 28:15 tells us “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go…” What would it mean to see through the eyes of God? What would we see that at present we miss, or choose to ignore?
Would we see ways to love others? Would we see the needs of our neighbor that motivates us to reach out? Seeing as God sees, not just with our eyes but also with our heart. How would that bless us, how would that change the way we live? Live? Would we see the real peace that comes with faith? Would we see, with assurance, that with God we are, indeed, safe?
If we truly believed that God was watching over us, how would we live our lives? Would what we do, think or say change? Could we stand up to that kind of “watchfulness”? But wait, this is God I am talking about, this is our Higher Power, this is the One that we pray will “watch us where we go”. I want that presence, that “watchfulness”.
So, what about your life, what would change in you, unexpectantly, under the watchful eye of God? Often the change in a person, who surrenders all to God, seems invisible to us, but often noticed by those closest to us.
That is what happened to me early in my faith journey. So many things had changed that I was not even aware of until one of my children asked “Dad, what happened…you are so different? I think you smile more.” This from an eleven-year-old. Perhaps, so much at peace? So, safe? Yes, all of that. Amen. Stan
Bulletin Board:
Larry Jamerson reports that Nancy is making good progress (Thank you, Jesus) and will be doing her rehab at the center at Lutheran Hospital. More good news. Still needs prayers.
We still have several in ‘lock-down’ who are part of this network and part of our larger community. Keep these in our prayers.
Preview – Tomorrow’s ‘Meditation’ is a thriller! It’ll get your heart racing! Stan
Today’s smile — Sean was sitting at the pub having a few pints with his old friend Donal. Sean gestured across the bar at two old drunks and said, “You know that’s us in about ten years.” Donal sighed and turned to Sean and said, “You eejit, that’s a mirror!”
Closing Prayer:
The Prayer of Saint Francis, we’ve used this before, but, still…
Many people, if asked for a prayer of St Francis, would name this one. However, it is not in fact by Francis, but comes from an unknown French source, and was first recorded around 1913. But it is in the spirit of Francis, so it is included here along with the genuine prayers.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console,
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
