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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Tuesday, March 2, 2004 On Our Knees |
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Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, March 2, 2004, by Penny Risen
Bible text:
Matthew 6: 5-6
Noises in the strange house made me uneasy, especially alone at night. They put
me on edge, even when simply sitting in front of a mindless sitcom and trying to
make the time pass quickly.
Above me from the back bedroom came a scraping, then a crash, followed by a
muffled voice. Not a shout or call for help, but a quiet beckoning.
As I rushed up the stairs, I dreaded what I’d see and resented being put in the
position of possible rescuer. After all, I hadn’t wanted to baby-sit --- had
avoided it for weeks --- but it was my turn with the cantankerous Great-Uncle
Ed. His voice continued to softly call out, more gently than I’d ever heard it.
I briefly knocked and quickly opened the bedroom door. The old man, dressed in
pajamas, was kneeling beside his low bed. His arms rested on the sheets as he
took a breath, his face pink with embarrassment and effort as he saw my puzzled
expression.
“Well? Just give me a hand and don’t fuss,” Ed said.
“I’m not hurt. Need a hand getting into bed, though” he explained sheepishly.
“The walker wasn’t steady and I couldn’t pull up.”
“What on earth were you doing?” I asked sharply, righting the walker and
hoisting his bony frame under the armpits. As I turned him around to sit on the
edge of the bed, he started searching in the rumpled sheets for something. He
found what he was seeking, closed his hand around it, and seemed to relax as I
helped him get comfortable for the night.
That night Ed --- who I’d known only as a frequently crabby, bitter and distant
man --- took me into his confidence. He opened his hand to show me a silver and
pearl rosary. Even though he’d suffered a series of strokes and was unsteady
from age, he continued a Christian discipline he began in childhood: To him,
kneeling each night to say his prayers was essential. And yes, he said with a
serious look, he had to kneel to show his thanks and humility to God. That
night, as I sat waiting downstairs for his equally frail wife to come home from
a well-deserved evening out, had been first time he couldn’t make it back into
bed after kneeling in prayer.
I can’t remember what I said then, besides telling him I was glad he was OK and
patting his hand before stepping back from his bedside. I didn’t offer to pray
with him before I Ieft the room, thinking what he’d already revealed to me was
private enough for one evening. Back downstairs, I left the TV off for a while
and was quiet. I was young, no kids, with few responsibilities or serious
worries, I thought. I had so much to be thankful for. Yet, this old man who I
barely knew --- who outwardly seemed to be angry with life --- had taught me a
simple lesson about the importance of keeping in touch with God. Why couldn’t
I do better and manage to fit prayer into my daily life? I asked myself.
Prayer, as our spoken or silent communion with our Creator, is the highest
expression of our religious nature and instincts. From Genesis through
Revelations, the Bible shows over and over that the discipline of prayer can get
His people through just about anything. “…Pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you,” advises Jesus in Matthew 6.
Whether bending to God on our knees or simply whispering to Him in a quiet
moment, we can and should tell Him what’s in our hearts and on our minds ---
each and every day.
I promised Ed I’d keep private his thoughts --- and his mishap --- after prayer.
But as you and I share this Lenten period of reflection together, I didn’t think
he’d mind my telling it after all these years.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, you see into my heart everyday, whether I come to
you in prayer or not. My wants are few, so help me to remember other people’s
needs in my prayers. Humble my spirit as I remember your many blessings and your
Son’s sacrifice for me. Amen.
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