There are ample reasons to be anxious. In the past two days I have been in contact with a friend who led worship for over 1,000 people in a small community that is grieving over the loss of two youth (14 yr old suicide and death of college student from same small town); I have prayed for a 36 yr old husband, father and extended family member who has just been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer; I have listened to the news (dishonest politicians, serial killer in Tampa, grieving communities in Texas, Puerto Rico, Iran/Iraq border, etc.). I checked my blood pressure last night and it was repeatedly 169-179/110 (horrible). It’s down this morning to 138/89 (better, but not perfect — MD appt. Jan. 5th). I had a child that spent the night in the hospital with A Fib symptoms and is home resting this morning.
Can God speak in the midst of this? Can God bring peace and rest in the midst of this? YES! I still arose early this morning to attend our 7:30 a.m. prayer gathering at the church. I still spend my time, not working on a sermon, but being one with God in Scripture, prayer, reflection and meditation, as well as contemplation (when you focus on the love of God over, in and through you). And… my BP is down! My brain is rewired through Quiet Time (QT) with God. Clearly I need more of this!
Some may say that church makes their B/P go up, but that’s not what we should be experiencing or causing by our presence and experience. Below is a quote from Walter Brueggemann for you to meditate on today. You may just need a bit of rest and release from anxiety!
“Only when we ponder the ‘other gods’ and the systems they authorize can we appreciate the radical nature of these first two commandments. Into this arena of restlessness comes the God of rest who offers relief from that anxiety-producing system. This God has no hunger for commodities and does not legitimate commodity systems. This God is attentive rather to the cries of those “left behind” and comes to open futures by exit (exodus) from systems of restlessness into the restfulness of neighborliness.
Walter Brueggemann, “Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now,” (Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, 2014), pg. 15.