​Shine!
 
    Do you shine like a light in darkness? Are we like a city on a hill, a shinning city that is so bright and desirable that others are drawn into the light? I often reflect on this, did I shine today, did I shine while I was talking to so and so? When I went shopping today, did I shine? This is important, we need to check ourselves against what is being asked of us. Am I asked to shine? Yes! We are asked to shine by Jesus, and the apostle Paul.
 
Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
 
    Jesus, as he gives the sermon on the mount, does more than ask us to be lights, I believe Jesus is telling us, as a command, to shine. A city on a hill can not help but be seen at night as the collective light from each home and business are shinning as one. Flying at night was always fascinating to me because at 25,000 feet in the air it is dark. But as you look down and see some dark patches, mostly you will see were cities, towns, and villages are because the are very bright. If you fly over the ocean at night this is even more spectacular. In Jesus day it was even darker away from a city making the city even brighter. Jesus wants his hearers to shine. What is it like in the Kingdom of God? It is bright!
 
    There is something more to shinning. Jesus might have said shine so you can spread my message of repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. We might say Paul tells to shine as lights in the world to magnify Jesus, the savior of the world. Some might say we shine with good works, brining light to sin or immoral works of the world. All of these are correct but there is more.
 
John 1:3-5,9 NRSV
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
 
    Jesus life was the light. His life is what was shining. When Peter, James, and John saw Jesus glorified, shining incredibly bright, they were seeing more than bright light, they were seeing his life as it was beyond the fleshly body. Remember when Paul says later that we do not remember Jesus in the flesh any longer? I believe that Paul is recalling his own encounter with Jesus as a light so bright that he was blinded. That was the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the true light that came into the world, so bright that darkness could not wrap it up. Jonathan Mitchell’s New Testament translation brings out a wonderful idea about what this light was.
 
“Furthermore, the Light progressively came to be the life known as "humanity," and was for human beings…” -JMNT
 
    In Genesis 2, a man was created. That man, Adam, should have stayed around the garden a little longer. If he had, eventually, I believe, he would have been able to show us what being a human was all about. Instead, Adam and Eve chose to try and skip ahead of God and missed the rest of their growth. The results were staggering. Jesus came as a light to the world. Jesus light did not become progressively brighter. What is progressively revealed is that Jesus life was true humanity. I say “is” rather than “was” because I believe this progressive revelation is on-going, even today. Jesus came to show what it meant to be human, all the way to the cross. All of us arrive to this conclusion at various times in our lives, and we show it, shining bright, in various ways.
 
    The life of the cross was the pinnacle of what human existence should look like, perfectly self-giving.   

Psalms 46:8-11 Brenton LXX 
(8) Come, and behold the works of the Lord, what wonders he has achieved on the earth.  (9)  Putting an end to wars as for the ends of the earth; he will crush the bow, and break in pieces the weapon, and burn the bucklers with fire.  (10)  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  (11)  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper.
 
    Be still and know. The Psalm is praising God for all that He is and has done. God is our fortress, a theme that recalls war and conquering armies of heaven. To the ancient Israelites God was called on for help in battling enemies and protecting their lands. This is what I find so amazing about this Psalm, it begins with God as a powerful protector against angry waves and shaking mountains, and nations in chaos. In most English translations God is said to have wrought great scenes of desolation and at his voice the earth melts. The scene is different in the Septuagint, the selection I chose. In this translation God has achieved wonders, miracles, things to look on and make the heart glad and still. Be still, have peace and comfort in who God is. God put an end to wars and broke the weapons used to sow chaos.
 
    God has taken the chaos surrounding Israel and brought peace to their hearts. This is a miracle. The word “miracle”, as used in the Septuagint, is found many other times, and was often used to describe the wonders that Moses and Aaron did before the Pharaoh in Egypt. God performed these miracles through two faithful men. Moses was in constant contact with God and expressed worry and self-doubt. Moses made it through with God’s mighty help, a refuge for Moses to get him through. Hebrews 11 tells us that Moses was faithful, he followed his Savior, he communicated with his Savior for strength and peace.
 
    When I read such passages I stop and wonder, at times, why I do not do the same? God is with me, always and yet I do not always call on Him for peace. Things around us are often chaotic and seem hopeless, strained, and impossible. It seems there is so much going on around us and it is too easy to forget that God is with us. The world takes over and we slip into the frenzy. God can do miracles. This is what Israel found out and what the Psalmist reflects on. Did the mountains literally shake? Was the water in an uproar and foaming? Did God cause them to cease their roaring and rumbling? No, this is all poetic prose. Israel had real enemies and fought very real battles. They suffered casualties and death, and lost land, and homes. But they sought help from their LORD, and according to Psalm 46, he brought them peace.
 
    Be still and know that God is with us. No matter what we are going through, God is our refuge. For us, the miracle might not be a dissolution of our situation, it might be as simple as finding a little peace and confidence. The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson offers a different take on verse 10; "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything." This is perfect, “step out of the traffic”. Sometimes stepping out of the traffic is exactly what we need. Step out and pray, for anything, just talk with your savior, your refuge that is within you, the bringer of peace. There is some terribly busy traffic in the world today and rather than letting the traffic overwhelm us, we should take some time and shut it off, or shut it out. Rather than merging with the traffic or opening a new path for it to flow, stand against it and stand firmly, with the peace of God. This is what we are called to do as believers today. The Kingdom of God asks us to stand in peace against the tides of chaos. So, not only should we get out of the traffic and pray for our own sanity, we should do it because it is our responsibility, and the way God wants us to conduct ourselves in the world. A people who shine bright in the traffic, full of joy and peace. 

Do you ever wonder how to pray? Have you ever been discouraged after hearing a sermon on prayer, so you kind of stop praying? Not that you don't pray, but your prayers become short and meaningless. Maybe you have become so confused by the many different "biblical fact" based opinions on how to pray. These, and more, describe my "prayer life" over the past several years. It was up and down, how often, how long, what should I pray for, when should I pray? I stopped praying for anything physical and started praying only for spiritual growth and the strengthening of my my faith. So, what is the answer?

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on these questions. This year, 2020, has not been kind to any of us. We have COVID which has caused all kinds of chaos in our basic, daily lives. COVID has been the cause of many tragedies and loss of life. Here, in the U.S., we have had much civil unrest over the excessive use of force by police, and systemic racism. Wild fires in parts of the American west are disrupting peoples lives as they lose their homes and businesses, and food supplies across the country have been interrupted. I have also learned of some life altering personal health issues that I must face, these could cause disruption to my future by way of family and work. It seems that there is a lot for me to pray about. So, how do pray? Many would say I should pray for physical healing, others might say to pray for mental strength to get me through my physical problems. But what about the problems that are facing the nation or other people? If I pray for peace and stability will God grant it? Are not all Christians and other "people of faith" praying for all of these situations, all the time? Why then do such things constantly happen? Is God not at work in the world today (this is another topic). Can I pray for one who does not believe in God for anything other than their salvation? What are the rules? Are there any rules?

There are many scriptures that address prayer. How do we apply them to our lives and the lives of those around us? How can we be "effective" in our prayers? We hear of some people being "prayer warriors"; what does that mean? Is a "prayer warrior" someone who prays so effectively that God hears them and acts on their requests more than others? The most famous prayer I can think of is the one Jesus suggests in Matthew 6 which asks that the Fathers will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus also tells the disciples and others that they can ask for whatever they need and it will be given to them. The apostle Paul tells Timothy to pray for leaders so that believers, who lived in a very tough political environment, could have peaceable lives and that all men would be saved. In the book of John, Jesus prays for his followers before his Passion. If you take into account the parallels of the gospels and the mention of prayer, Paul, in his writings, mentions prayer more often than does Jesus in the gospels. Paul gives various admonishments regarding prayer that range from women covering their heads while praying to praying for his strength during his journeys and while imprisoned. Paul frequently tells the churches that he prays in thanking God for them. In the Old Testament, using the NRSV, the word occurs close to 400 times with prayers to God for deliverance, healing, and the removal of sins and the guilt associated with those sins.

It is easy to see that prayer is very important to God and to Jesus Christ. It is one way that we can communicate with them. It becomes obvious that prayer should be a major part of our relationship with God and his son. Thankfully, I have come to realize that I should not worry about how or when I pray any longer. I do not believe it really matters how I address God, what questions I ask or what requests I make. I can just talk to God or Jesus anytime I want, about anything, just as if they were standing, sitting or working right next to me, because they are with me, all of the time. I used to think that football players were out of place if they pointed skywards after scoring a touchdown as they might be thanking our praying to God. I would think, "God does not care about your touchdown", or "God did not give you that touchdown, as if God likes your team better than the other". Now I think, "good for them and good for God!".

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says that we should pray for anything, and that God would give our minds and hearts peace in his son. I believe that the idea of prayer like this is to simply talk with God about what is bothering us, or what we are thankful for, no matter who, or what it is. It is to share our concerns with him, like we would with a friend. When we chose to share ourselves with someone, it can take some of the burden away and it might serve to ease or minds even when we know that the other person can not possibly change our situation. A friend, or even a counselor, is someone we lean on to ease pain, suffering, or anguish. The relief might be brief, but it is needed and very important to our health. God desires to be that friend who is there with us through anything. God wants to share in our pain, suffering, and anguish. God wants to share in our joy, happiness, and thankfulness. So, yes, God is happy with the football player's elation after he scores a touchdown. God is sorrowful with us after tragedy happens as well. God wants us to experience peace, not turmoil and chaos.

The apostle Paul gives the best explanation of prayer I can think of which applies to my life as one who believes that I have a meaningful relationship with both God, and Jesus Christ. In Romans 8, Paul writes,
"...the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." To me, this means that I can simply talk with God and that I do not need to worry how my prayer sounds, or what words I use, or what the topic is, or how long my prayer is, or when it is. I just can, like I am taking with a friend. God hears exactly what I need him to hear. My Lord Jesus Christ, who is my brother, hears exactly what I need him to hear. Just talk, scream, cry, whatever you need to, wherever you need to, as often as you need to.

Since coming to this understanding of prayer, I pray far more often, about far more things than ever before. I pray, or talk with God with no other expectation than that he hears, and that he is sharing in my conversation, and that I might have some peace in that moment. I have become much more thankful. Some might think this is a disrespectful way to approach God, but that does not bother me, to each their own, and maybe they are right, who knows. I now know it does not matter what opinions anyone has regarding prayer, because I now know that God makes sense of all my words.


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