Hold Still and Pray: A Prayer for Election Day
Dear Messiah Members and Friends,
Last year my husband and I watched a spy-thriller movie. One of the characters kept asking the double agent, “Are you worried?” The reply was always the same: “Would it make any difference?” We’ve added the response to our daily conversations: “Would it make any difference?” It is a response that covers a lot of topics/concerns, right?
Maybe you have wondered the same thing about prayer.
Clearly the writers of Psalms wondered. Is God listening to the world’s despair and our longing for intervention? I have been thinking about that a lot this year, so I was glad to hear from a long-time family friend, Father Pat. He is the Chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. He told us he sits quietly in the chamber during House sessions and prays. He said it has been a challenging discipline during heated arguments that are both addictive and discouraging. I was reminded of Psalm 46. Do you know it?
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shall change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam. The psalmist concludes, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Holding still can be a difficult discipline ~ even painful ~ when we want to DO something/anything.
Yet, Psalm 46 has steadied and calmed me through a lot of sorrow and heartbreak. So, here is an idea:
Together we might hear God’s “shhhh” as an invitation to moments that are holy and safe.
Let the congregation say, “Amen.”
Rev. Susan Kirlin-Hackett
Messiah Pastor of Care and Welcome