Thursday in the First Week of Lent
The psalmist in today’s psalm (138) declares, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” I suspect all of us can recall a time or times that God has answered our call for help. Certainly Queen Esther can. In today’s first reading (Esther C: 12, 14-16, 23-25), which is the prayer of Esther, she cries to God for help for her and the Jewish people who were uprooted from their homeland and had reason to be concerned for their safety. Not a well-known book of the bible, the book of Esther is basically the story of a genocidal plot against a Jewish people and how Mordecai and his cousin Esther - a courageous woman, prevented it.
Esther turns to God for help in facing the enemy. She presents herself to God in prayer, “Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God.” Have you ever felt that way? So alone in the world or in a situation that you have no one but God to turn to? I specifically recall a time in college when I was away from my parents and sisters for the first extended period of time in my life. I had some new friends, but no one really close yet. When I came upon a difficult situation, I felt very alone and knew that a phone call home wasn't going to solve it. Thankfully, I had my faith and was able to turn to God in prayer, but it was a struggle; one that I believe increased my faith as God strengthened me and placed new people in my life to share my faith and help support and guide me. In the biblical story, God answers Esther’s call for help and saves the Jewish people. God worked through Esther (and Mordecai) to answer her prayer.
In today’s gospel reading (Matthew 7: 7-12), Jesus tells his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” As a disciple of Jesus, do you believe this? Have you experienced this? How does God answer prayer in your life? I recall times that I could see no solution to a problem, no way out or good resolution, and then, I believe, as a result of prayer a new door has opened up or a situation or person’s heart has changed (and sometimes that changed heart was mine).
Let’s take some time this Lent to reflect and ask for greater faith and the ability to recognize how God is working in our lives and answering our prayers.
What do you seek from God?
If we but ask, seek, and knock, God’s way will become clear and the door will be opened for us. Then we, too, can declare with the psalmist, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. “
- Eileen Miller