Thought for the week: Let's be open to the unexpected in our prayers today
One of the last things I read each day is a comment on a verse or passage from the Bible which has been briefly commented on by a writer who really has something to say.
The writers change weekly so there is no danger of a complacent rut developing.
Most of the weekly contributors have two basic gifts. As far as I can see they handle the holy scripts responsibly and they do so with deep scholarly insight which they communicate in words you can read frequently near midnight and retain their gist.
Secondly, most of them have continued to serve pastorally and it is from within that experience they maintain their scholarly engagement with scripture.
A recent engagement was with St Mark’s gospel and the encounter described between Jesus and the paralysed man who was lowered by his friends through the roof of a house surrounded by a crowd which prevented any other access.
Their action was sufficiently arresting for Jesus to be impressed. He sees their faith – the faith of these friends – and the man is healed. Jesus even forgives the man’s sins (without a confession, let it be noted!) which would restore him to society. The scribes don’t like that. My commentator, Graham James, stressed that Jesus is demonstrating a greater authority than the scribes.
I travel with his view that it’s our faith, rather than the faith of those for whom we pray, which is at the heart of our intercessions. It’s our faith that God hears our prayers that prompts us to pray for conflict zones, and those oppressed by poverty, want or cruelty, and our planet in its fragility, for those we love.
We may not always know precisely what we are praying for, but presenting the people and situations on our minds before God is prayer in itself.
My end of day encourager (a bishop!) concluded that day’s stimulation by recalling that he once ordained a young deacon whose parents were perplexed because they had no Christian faith and couldn’t understand their son’s vocation. Then he met his maternal grandmother.
"I’ve been praying for him every day since he was born," she said, "but I never knew what for until now."
Let’s be open to the unexpected in our prayers today.
"Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of Your Church: open our hearts to the riches of Your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord."