Shepherds, disciples, and prayer

Proper 11 Year B
July 22, 2018

I wish I could remember the exact wording of something I saw this week.  It said something to the effect of, “Faith isn't about believing everything will turn out alright; faith is about knowing God will be with you when it doesn't”.

There are lots of reasons I like that… I am not an “everything happens for a reason” person or a “God never gives you more than you can handle” person. I tend to think that most of the time when we say things like that it's because we don't know what to say.  I don't think God just acts in ways that are harmful to us...God doesn't seek to hurt any of us...But let's be real; there are times in every life when it seems like we’re getting beat up on. Stuff of all sorts piles up, we get super busy and can't seem to find our way out of the mess we find ourselves in.  In those times it's hard to know what to do or what to believe.
I would also say, that it's just as damaging to believe that if we have enough faith, whatever that means, and if we pray hard enough, whatever THAT means, that God will make everything alright.  Both of these approaches seem to me to put more power into our ways of thinking, rather than placing power where it belongs, which is with God.

Both psalm 23 and our gospel lesson today helped me to think about faith and about our life with God.  Psalm 23 has been a comfort to many of us at various times in our lives. But notice that the psalmist still has to walk through the darkness, through the valley of death; the faith of the psalmist doesn't protect them from the darkness.  However, their faith helps them to realize that they are not alone as they journey through the dark… their faith helps them to go through it and come out the other side. Faith in God, it seems, gives the psalmist the encouragement that no matter how dark it gets,
God will be with them to guide them through it… not lessen the darkness, but guide them through it.  

Jesus shows us more in our Gospel today.  He tells the disciples that they must go away to a deserted place to rest and to pray...the work of discipleship isn't easy and without time to pray and renew one’s relationship with God, the life of a disciple is impossible.  We can only really know God’s presence when we take the time to know it. As they get to the other side, people start to swamp them again and Jesus has compassion on the crowd. They are scattered and afraid. I can imagine him saying to the others, you go on and rest.  I will take care of this...and then he stays with the crowd to heal and to teach. Their land was occupied by the empire so there was lots of reason to be afraid. I imagine as in other times, Jesus taught them about God’s kingdom and the fact that they had a place in it, a place that made them equals, a place where there were no occupying forces.  He healed those who were brought to him, a sure sign that God’s kingdom was beginning here on Earth as it was in heaven.

Jesus does have compassion, and wants to alleviate their suffering… he certainly heals, but what about those who aren't brought to him?  And what about the occupation? Jesus hasn't come to overthrow earthly power forces; but he has come to teach people what the kingdom of God looks like...he has come to tell them that God is with them, that HE is with them as the one who God lives in in human form.  Prayer, is necessary for us to know God. But prayer is not about controlling the outcomes. Jesus didn't heal everyone. Jesus didn't bring down some mighty lightning to undo the occupation...but he did enter into relationship with the people. He taught them what right paths looked like, and he taught them that unlike the empire, God’s kingdom had no walls, no barriers, no outcasts.  

Faith, love, life in God...none of it has manipulation as it's beginning or it's goal.  We don't always get what we want in our prayers...physical healing isn't always given. But God’s love, given to us in Jesus and the Holy Spirit are a given.  No matter where we find ourselves, Jesus is with us helping us get to the other side. I encourage all of us in this hectic world to go away to a quiet place to pray so that we will always know that we can be led through the darkness, back into the light.  Relationship with God is crucial to our well-being and to be in relationship we must pray… and we, like Jesus, are asked to have compassion on our brothers and sisters who need a Shepherd; may we teach them about the kingdom of God in all that we say and do.