Being a Stream in the Hand of the Lord

The first verse of today’s reading, Proverbs 22: 1-6, 10-13, reads: “Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the Lord; wherever it pleases him, he directs it.”  Obedience! Surrender Trust! In today’s Gospel, Luke 8: 19-21, Jesus speaks of these virtues by saying:  “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” What a tribute to His Mother, who was obedience to the Word of God and acted upon it.  She allowed God to direct her life however it pleased Him to do so!  In every encounter with God, Mary pondered God’s messages and actions!

What about you and me? Does the Solomon’s wisdom apply to us? Are we like “a stream…in the hand of the Lord” in that “wherever it pleases” God, God directs us? Are you, am I even aware of God’s directions in our lives  each day? Do you, do  I take time at the end of the day to reflect upon ways in which you/I allowed or resisted the directions of the Holy Spirit throughout the day?  Would Jesus say of you/me: “My mother and my brothers [and sisters] are those who hear the word of God and act on it”?

Do what? You Gotta Be Kidding!

In today’s first reading, 1 Kings 17: 7-16, we learn that the place where Elijah was hiding dried up.   Elijah is directed to move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. "...a widow...[will] provide for you."   Elijah had the choice of following those directions or of  ignoring them.  “Oh, I will manage right here,” he might have argued.  “I will be fine,” might have been another way of resisting the voice within him telling him that it was time to move on. Furthermore, Elijah might have bulked on depending on a poor widow!

The Lord is always giving us directions throughout the day. These directions may seem so mundane

that we simply ignore them and choose otherwise only  to regret that we did not listen to the

suggestions rising within us. Or, what we are hearing may sound outright ludicrous. Our response: "No way; I will do it my way!" Or we might argue: “What will others think?” Or, “let me check this out with so-and-so first,” not trusting ourselves as having the wisdom from within the core of our being, where the Spirit resides, to be making a right choice.  This is not to say that consultation is not important, but how often do we not live to please others and not ourselves and not our God!

No one was around but Elijah, you say. He had to trust God. “No, he didn’t,” is my response. He had a choice, because God will not coerce us to follow the Spirit within us. He gave us a free will and will

always allow us that freedom.  God does not force us to follow His directions or to be His servant or handmaiden. He gives directions freely all of the time;  and, yes, all of the time, he respects our free will to say “yes” or to say “no.”

What will my choice/your choice be? 

Directed by "angels"

In today's first reading an angel of the Lord instructs Philip to "get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route" (Acts 8: 26-40).  He meets up with "an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship" and on his way back was reading the Scriptures but not understanding a thing he was reading. God's plan was that Philip explain the Scriptures to him. He catches up with his chariot, asks what he is reading and proceeds to proclaim Jesus to him, as all of Scripture is really about God's plan of salvation and the role of Jesus as Messiah, King, and Savior of the entire world.

What would you and I do when, out of the blue, God instructs us to "get up and head south" to "the desert route." When anything "goes south," or when anyone is in a desert, parched, dried up, unable to generate life and be productive, human nature has a tendency to bulk and not want to be a part of that experience.  "It's not my fault that she/he is struggling." "He/she made his/her own bed; let them sleep in it. It's not my problem and I do not want to get involved."  It is easy to dismiss what is problematic in another person's life and stay in our comfort zones. "I don't want to be bothered; I have no time for that foolishness" may be the tune of our rhetoric when hard times strike another person, especially the life of a "eunuch," a man who is regarded as lacking power or effectiveness.

Philip takes no such position. He gets up, catches up with the eunuch's charioteer and takes time to listen. The life of the eunuch is transformed!  Through Philip's generosity, he's found the Lord and continues his way rejoicing in that new found joy.

To whom  is the Lord calling me to listen? In whose life am I being called to make a difference? Will I listen? Will I leave my comfort zone when the Spirit calls?