The political situation in many parts of the world seems to be in upheaval. The British continue to struggle to find a way to exit. The President of the US tweets angry comments to a 16 year-old climate activist. And, here at home, Andrew Scheer has resigned, launching a time of resetting the course for the Conservative Party. Turmoil and uncertainty abound.
I have comments I could make about politicians (!) but that is not the purpose of this blog. There are lots of other blogs you can go to for that. What it leaves me thinking about, and what I want to share, is wrestling with the question as to how I handle upheaval and uncertainty? And more than that, where is God in the uncertainty and upheaval of life?
I have been fortunate to have had a pretty stable life. Of course, I have known disappointment and grief. I have felt used by some and overlooked by others but the counterbalance is I am healthy, educated, and have resources needed to deal with challenges. But still upheaval can be, well, difficult. And what I have been thinking about this afternoon is that the hardest times are when things are out of our control. Today two people spoke privately to me. They asked for prayer. They asked me to think of them in their time of wrestling. One is facing urgent medical tests due to unexplained problems and there is a hint that this is serious. The word tumour was used and this person is scared. The other person spoke on behalf neighbours and the upset and trauma faced by drug use. Addictions are so hard and we often feel helpless to know how to support or respond in the face of it.
I do pray and I do believe that relief can come with prayer. I believe that support for individuals can be found when they know that others are praying for them and with them. I know what a difference it has made to me when someone has said, “I am praying for you.”
We have started a regular prayer circle at the church. every Tuesday morning at 9:30 we gather, whoever wishes to, to sit in silence and hold this time of corporate prayer. Those who cannot make it into the building pray at home during that same block of time. For me prayer is a touchstone, a place for me to settle in times of uncertainty and upheaval. To enter into conversation with the Holy Other, to have a sense of that mystery that is bigger and beyond me is both comforting and empowering. Sometimes prayer comes when I am sitting quietly and sometimes it comes when I am shoveling snow! Sometimes prayer flows most easily when I am by myself and others times when I am with others. In the end, who and when, and where does not really matter. What matters is the what – the connection with that mystery that is beyond me. That source of energy and strength that can hold me in times of upheaval and uncertainty. For that I am grateful.
