Thursday of the First Week in Lent
As a child I often heard the phrase “be careful what you wish for.” This nagging reminder seems to have woven its way into my adult life in times when I’m cautioned to not pray for patience - because the truth is that if I pray for patience, God will allow my patience to be tested so that it may grow.
We see this theme played out in today’s readings - through Esther’s outcry to God to be present to her in her aloneness despite the fact that she has taken her life into her own hands. Even more clearly, this theme is depicted in today’s Gospel that tells of Jesus’ instruction to the disciples to “ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you.” At the heart of it all is the message that God will provide, but not only must we ask God we must always accept the fact that God may respond in a way unexpected to us. God may hear our prayer for patience and then allow our patience to be tested, only leaving us feeling even more impatient unless we are willing to embrace those testing moments.
I don’t dwell on this dynamic to cause us to feel intimidated to offer our petitions to God, but instead to remind ourselves of how we may want to grow closer to God this Lent and to embrace the challenges that may come with that desire. Perhaps that’s where a Lenten sacrifice comes into play. What might you like to ask of God right now in your life? What challenges might God’s response to your petition bring? How might that petition involve an element of sacrifice? In what ways do you need to be open to how God might respond to your petition?
I’m a firm believer that God may not always answer our prayers in the way we desire or expect, but God always hears our prayers and blesses us with grace in that process. Dear God, help us to receive your grace and how it might challenge us to embrace discipleship on a deeper level. May we never forget that we can always bring our desires to you and those prayers will be heard and answered in some way. We pray that you might continue to bless us this Lenten season as we strive to grow deeper in relationship with you and embrace any sacrifices that this Lenten journey might entail. Amen.
- Mike Bennett