What does true communication with God look like?
For the patriarch Abraham, communication with God was
straightforward, if not always easy. In the Book of Genesis, the Lord remains standing before
Abraham, offering Abraham the opportunity to pose questions and even
challenge the notion of God’s divine judgment of the sinners of Sodom and
Gomorrah: Should not the judge of all the world act with justice? Abraham asks the Lord. Abraham seeks to understand what God’s justice
looks like; he can speak directly with the Lord, hoping to understand God’s will, God's plan. Like the speaker in Psalm 138, Abraham can call on the Lord, confident
that God will answer him. Openness, trust, and a desire to know God's will are all fundamental components of prayer.
Jesus likewise gives his disciples a better understanding of
communication with God in Luke’s Gospel, as he teaches them to pray even as
they struggle to understand God’s will in their lives. If they ask,
they shall receive, he tells them; they
must persist in trusting in God’s justice and mercy, even when they are wicked.
Constant effort at communication with God – in the form of prayer – is our gateway to
covenant, connecting us to God, allowing the door to be opened as we recognize our need for God in our lives and
promise to offer mercy and justice – forgiving
everyone in debt to us – as God has forgiven us our own debts.
It is through such faith
in the power of God to forgive and show mercy, Paul tells the Colossians, that
we can ultimately attain salvation; thanks to baptism, in which we were buried with him as we turned away from
sin, we will also be raised with Christ
who has forgiven us all our transgressions. Baptism is the door that opens the way to salvation; prayer is our ongoing
opportunity to know God and to discern God’s will, so that we may do justice
and show mercy in turn, confident that God has
heard the words of our mouths, and
will answer.
This post is based on OLMC's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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