The past few weeks have been troubling as we reflect about the heavy-duty challenges before us as a country, as a world, and as individuals. These include:
- The Coronavirus Resurgence: In the U.S. deaths are rapidly growing toward 1,000 per day. I watch the chart turn up each day and has not been at this height since April, when we thought the vaccine would make the virus go away.
- Wildfires: in the Pacific Northwest the massive property destruction has reached a new high. In Mediterranean countries of Greece, Turkey, Italy and Spain dozens of communities are being evacuated. Most blazes resulted from the most severe heat wave in decades.
- Flooding: Haiti has suffered an earthquake, followed by severe flooding. In Turkey, nearly 100 people have died from floods. Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nebraska, and even here in Virginia report property destruction and deaths from flash flooding in August.
- Afghanistan: The chaos and potential disastrous impact to humanity from the U.S, withdrawal remains to be seen.
- Locally: As a Deacon in my church, I learn of a number of congregational sufferings.
Your mind may tell you to stop watching and reading the news, but your heart might say “do something.” I’ve written in previous posts about the negativity our country seems to have about sending forth our “thoughts and prayers.” Despite many who believe thoughts and prayers are worthless, I believe that if we think and pray about on-going international and local issues, impact will be made.
Richard Foster’s book, Prayer, is a favorite of mine. He writes a chapter called The Prayer of Suffering. Given the angst of the past few weeks, I read it again.
Foster writes, “we voluntarily take into ourselves the griefs and sorrows of others in order to set them free.” A really important part of this prayer of suffering is to NOT continue shouldering the burdens of others, but releasing them into the arms of God. I used to train critical care nurses in listening skills and supporting families of patients who have died. I would often say to these caregivers that empathy is very powerful but to be useful going further we must not deplete ourselves by holding these tragic feelings. And, as Foster points out for persons of faith, “our task is to hold the agony of others just long enough for them to let go of it themselves. Then together we can give all things over to God.”
He includes this prayer, which helped me, at the end of the chapter:
O Holy Spirit of God, so many hurt today. Help me to stand with them in their suffering. I do not really know how to do this. My temptation is to offer some quick prayer and send them off rather than endure with them the desolation of suffering. Show me the pathway into their pain. In the name and for the sake of Jesus. – Amen
May you be at peace in these challenging times!
At Peace 