A Reflection on my Vicar’s Sermon
Desperation. It’s a terrible feeling. Nobody wants it. All of us experience it. About what do you feel desperate? Desperation—that dread that makes you perspire, shudder, cower, hide. In this scenario, who wouldn’t want a lifeline to pull you out, like the three allowed on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
My husband spoke about the lifeline we have to God, that open line of communication with God by his Spirit: prayer. Taking us to Genesis 3, a curious choice of text for a reflection on prayer but none the less thought-provoking, Kevin rehearses the Adamic garden scene that weary day. The serpent, or Satan (Genesis 3:1; Isaiah 27:1, Revelation 20:2), does two things that lead to Eve’s newfound fatality: 1) the hook and 2) the half-truth. First, he hooks her in that first verse of Genesis 3. Like a fish drawn to fake bait, Satan lures us. If we aren’t wide-eyed, we quickly become dinner. Secondly, Satan feeds our first mother a half-truth, and she swallows it—hook, line, and sinker. A threat, real or perceived, seems enough to overwhelm them, and us.
Now, how does this fateful story relate to prayer? Well, you’ll need to listen to the whole of his sermon. This tidbit would not do his duly prepared and spiritual work any justice. The main point is that Genesis 3 demonstrates the mystery of the Gospel and what so often happens in prayer. We run from God. We hide. Who is nowhere to be found in Genesis 3:9-10? Not God. Why? We don’t want to talk with God because we don’t want to face him. And who is seeking whom? God goes out of his way to find us. God chases us. The tragedy is that we don’t run from fear; we run from God!
Prayer is an opportunity to meet God. He has run after you your whole life. Be still this week (Psalm 46:10). Slow down. Listen. Pray. Receive. Think of prayer as God wrapping his security blanket of love around you (Song of Solomon 2:4). Through Christ, God wraps us up warmly in his love. It is safe here. So why are we hiding? God knows everything about us already and still loves us. Now that’s amazing grace!
What we want is a lifeline to be pulled from our troubles, but we are not at the other end of the line in a conversation (prayer) with God. Be found by God this week. Pray.
