Evening Prayer Reflection 080522
Acts 4:13-31
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So, they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’ So, they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old. After they were released, they went to their friends* and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: *“Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.” *
For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant* Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants* to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant* Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Last week, we talked about the temptation of power & honors. I kept thinking about how in real life we often wield our power for our own benefit instead of using it for the benefit of God or others. For example, the way Pontius Pilate told Jesus that he has the power to save him or crucify him. It’s fascinating when we say: “Don’t you know who I am? Usually, we are warning/ threatening our audience that we have power we can use to strike at any time! Still, it begs our attention to understand how we use our power. In this world, there are power dynamics everywhere. John Baldoni is an executive coach and a leadership educator. He wrote: “Know when to use power: While you want to push decision making to the front lines, there will be times when you need to make a big decision. Making that call will mean you have to exert power.” So, let me ask you a question: what motivates you to pursue a particular decision? Is it for pure selfish reasons or for the service to others?
In this passage of Scripture, we see power dynamics. It’s fun to observe the ways in which power is used in a setting: “So, they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” Whom will this law benefit once it’s obeyed and why. It could be argued that this new sect called Christians is trying to brew trouble then it would be scapegoating. Wielding power comes with an enormous responsibility. Is it for the good of all parties concerned? This is the toughest test that most decisions don’t pass. Things were already out of control… threats on the people of God were out in the open. The disciples responded: ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ I must say it took some boldness to wield their power of refusal. After realizing it is not advantageous to detain the disciples, they were let go. The key word here is trusting in God. When we don’t trust God, we fear, and we go out of our way to create scenarios that betray a lack of trust in God and a high trust in our own capacity.
There is a prayer by Hannah Smith that is perfect for this:
“Lord, I am going to trust thee to keep me. I have tried keeping myself, and have failed, and failed, most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust thee. I give myself to thee. I keep back no reserves. Body, soul and spirit, I present myself to thee as a piece of clay, to be fashioned into anything thy love and thy wisdom shall choose. And now I am thine.”
When Christ is born in us, we don’t operate under the influence of fear, but of trust. At that point we don’t forget that Christ is with us and within us even at the hour of trial. We need a strong faith that banishes fear and anxiety. How interesting that when we are too trusting of ourselves, we end up choosing to wield our power in the worst way that hurts others and show selfishness. Therese of Lisieux is a nun who died young and who showed an exceptional love for God. She believed her acts of love and sacrifices for the community was her way of showing her love to God. What does that look like for us?
Could this be an antidote to our lack of faith and lack of trust in God that is ravaging this age? Therese saw her personal suffering as a conformity to Christ’s sufferings. She understood that her suffering had a divine purpose to accomplish in her, especially in subjecting further her own will to God’s perfect will. Lord, give us courage to face our life’s trials and not run from our troubles. When we are troubled, we tend to think about what we will do about it. If fear and anxiety is in the midst, then we are more likely to take the least resistant route. Naturally, we want to maximize our comfort. None subscribes willingly to discomfort! We are all wired to seek comforts. Jesus said: Take up your cross and follow me. Yet in this drive towards comforts, that often enough we don’t perceive God’s hand within the situation and the lessons we are meant to learn. For example, Joseph spent additional years in jail so he can learn to completely trust God alone and not in the power of the spiritual gift he had. He was so distraught that he was ready to ask payment for using this divine gift of wisdom and discernment in interpreting dreams. Joseph asked Pharaoh’s assistant to remember him when he gets back into his good graces! This disposition is where we are when we are tempted to use our power to rescue ourselves, to make decisions that are greatly advantageous to us only disregarding God and our fellow neighbor.
If we decided to observe the decisions, we have made throughout our life trajectory, we would discover a pattern. Did I trust God more than I trust my desires and ambitions? I took time to think about my own life trajectory and few life events came to my mind where things didn’t work out as I had anticipated, but I am still convinced that God was present all the way. Did I make decisions trusting in my own desires and ambitions? Absolutely, I also came to trust God in my journey and realized that even while in the wrong decisions, God was with me, protecting me and giving me strength, patience and wise council every step of the way. I also have made good decisions after spending a day or two in prayer and Holy Scriptures to listen to the Holy Spirit. This is a long process of letting ourselves soak in God’s word and prayer.
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