How often do we enter into a challenging situation and forget to pray for God’s assistance?  It may be a difficult meeting with the boss at work, or an effort to resolve a disagreement with our spouse, or a discussion with one of our children over a certain disciplinary action we plan to take.

The following stories (one from scripture and one from personal experience) illustrate the value of praying first to request God’s assistance before we proceed in any situation.

Nehemiah was the cup bearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia.  He had learned that the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed and the gates burned by the Babylonians, and he weeps for Israel.  He prays that God would grant him favor with the King when he is his presence.  When he brings the wine to the king, the king notices how sad he is and observes that he has never seen him sad like this before.

Nehemiah responds, “Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins.”  The king then asked Nehemiah, “What is it that you want?”  Nehemiah says, “Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king.”  Nehemiah asks the king to send him to Jerusalem to rebuild it, giving him letters of safe passage through the surrounding territories and a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest to get wood to rebuild the gates destroyed by fire.  (Neh. 1:4 – 2:1-9)

Notice how Nehemiah prays before he meets with the king and also while he is in his presence before stating his request.  He is relying on God to go before him to prepare the king’s heart for his request.

Over the years I have experienced times when I have neglected to pray and times when I remembered.  At work, I often found myself praying in the hallways and elevators as I walked to meetings where potential conflicts needed to be resolved.   The outcomes always seemed to be better when I prayed.

Here is a non-work story for which I have found memories.  A number of years ago our oldest daughter was in a serious dating relationship with a young man who I had met on several occasions.  He called one day to have lunch.  Since on a prior occasion he had expressed interest in a workplace ministry I was involved in, I had thought that he wanted to follow-up on that conversation.

As I was leaving my office to meet with him, the thought hit me, “What if he wants to ask permission to marry our daughter?  How will I respond?   So, I started to pray, asking God what I should say.  We had no reservations about the young man being a good husband for our daughter.  It was more a matter of what form should my response take for such an important request.

After a prolonged discussion on a variety of subjects, there was a pause and then a request for permission to marry our daughter.   As a result of my prayer, I said, “Well, I have two requirements.”  His countenance gave a worried look.  “The requirements are that you love God and that you love our daughter.”  He let out a sigh, and said, “Oh, I can do that!  That will not be a problem.” 

In postscript to this story, it turns out that our second daughter was also in a serious dating relationship.  About a month later I received a call from the young man she was dating who lived out of state.  He said that he had hoped to talk with me in person, but his circumstances did not allow it.  He was coming to town to see our daughter and wanted our permission to marry her.  Thinking back to what happened the month before, I said, “Well, I have two requirements,” and before I could state what they were, he said, “Yes and yes.”  He had obviously consulted with our other daughter’s fiancé.  This past year both marriages celebrated their twenty-first anniversaries, and their families have given us many happy memories.

“In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6)

Early in Mark’s Gospel Jesus encounters a man with an evil spirit in the synagogue at Capernaum.  The evil spirit cries out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24)

How ironic!  Demons recognized Jesus for who he is, but the religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees and the scribes, steeped in the study of scripture and the writings of the prophets, did not.  

We have a similar situation in our day as fewer and fewer people recognize Jesus for who he is – the Son of God, the creator of all that exists who became one of us in human form.  Many do not accept that he is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Light from Light, true God from true God, son of David, Savior, Messiah, and Christ the Lord, among the many titles attempting to capture who he is.

Mother Theresa was noted for saying that she saw the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor that she brought into her homes for the dying in Calcutta.

Jesus used the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats to identify himself with the thirsty, the hungry, and those in need of clothing, shelter, medical care and who were imprisoned.   When people asked, “When did we see you in need” of these things, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Thus, in Mother Theresa, we have the manifestation of Jesus both in her actions to serve the poorest of the poor, and in the faces of the poor she served. 

While the number of Christians in our society may be declining, the examples of Jesus’ love and service have been evident in the last couple of months with the hurricanes, wildfires, and the horrific Las Vegas shootings.  Here are a couple examples from Las Vegas as reported by Melia Robinson in TODAY.

Tom McIntosh said he wouldn’t have made it out of the festival alive if it weren’t for a stranger who stopped to care for him.  He lay bleeding from his leg in the back of a pick-up truck when James Lawson, who was fleeing the shooter, noticed that a tourniquet around McIntosh’s leg was tied incorrectly.  “It was in the completely wrong spot,” said Lawson, who serves in the U. S. Army Reserve.  “I adjusted the belt, got it up where it should be, and tightened it down.”  Lawson stayed with McIntosh, consoling him, until a different truck ferried them both to the hospital.

After the gunman opened fire, some in the crowd were too frightened to move.  Johnathan Smith began shouting, “Active shooter, active shooter, let’s go!”  He told all nine members of his extended family, as well as nearby strangers, to join hands and run.  They moved as a human chain to a handicapped parking area and hid behind several rows of cars.  Then he spotted a few girls who weren’t fully protected. He stood up to warn them to get down and a bullet struck him in the neck. Fortunately he has survived his wounds.

As God created us in his image and likeness, and later became one of us in the person of Jesus, it has always been his desire to reproduce himself in us through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  By his grace, his presence is often revealed in times of acute need.

“You will fill me with joy in your presence,” says the psalmist.  (Psalm 16:11)  Joy is an emotion that usually flows from something that gives us pleasure or makes us happy.

Over the years I have experienced joy in a variety of ways — when I proposed to my wife on a snowy Christmas eve; when I witnessed the birth of our five children; when I received a promotion in my work; when I used to hit a good golf shot; when the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl (years ago); when I have had the courage to share about God’s grace and the saving power of Jesus Christ; and when I do something for someone else instead of myself.

The world tends to look at joy in terms of pleasure, good fortune and success.  Even Webster defines joy by using these terms.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that if we obey his commands we will remain in his love and our joy will be complete.  He says we should follow his example. 

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s command and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11)

Remaining in Jesus’ love and obeying his commands results in a joy that is complete.  It is ongoing.  It gives rise to a general state of happiness and well-being regardless of the circumstances.  It is a joy that survives setbacks, disappointments and even tragedies. 

Many years ago some people prayed with me at a Life in the Spirit program to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit in my life.  I drove home in a blinding snow storm on the curvy and hilly roads of northern Westchester County, NY.  I could barely see beyond the hood of my car.  Because I was so filled with joy from experiencing God’s presence in the Holy Spirit, that blizzard didn’t bother me one bit.

As Jesus suggests, it is God’s presence that is the source of our joy.  The more we are in his presence, the greater potential we have to experience that joy.  We can seek his presence through prayer, scripture, and the sacraments and in joining with other Christians in his name.

But perhaps the best way to experience God’s presence is simply to seek him at all times in our thoughts, in our work, in our time with others, in whatever we are doing.  If our life is a constant dialog with the person of Jesus, we will be in his presence, and our joy will be complete. 

“You fill me with joy in your presence.”      

Do you have purpose in your life?  I have never met anyone who didn’t want to have purpose and meaning in their life.  Rick Warren sold over 32 million copies of his book, Purpose Driven Life, indicating a fairly high level of interest in the subject.

Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work.” (John 4:34) Jesus seemed to be equating food with purpose.  In a way, food is similar to purpose in that they both keep us going and sustain us.

St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, reveals his quandary over whether he would prefer to be with Christ through death in his prison cell, or remain in this life and continue to proclaim Christ to the Philippians.  He concludes that the Philippians need his continued presence and encouragement more.  “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (Phil. 1:21-26)

As Christians, the Church teaches us that we are called to come to know God, to love him and to serve him in this life, so that we can be with him after this life and into eternity.  How this plays out in real life varies with each individual, for God creates each one of us with unique characteristics, skills and purpose.

For me, I came to know God through the Christian heritage of my parents, as well as through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ forty years ago this month.  Early in my adult life my primary purpose was to love and support my wife and children and advance in my career as an attorney for a large international oil company as far as possible.

I didn’t give much thought as to whether those two objectives were a purpose God had given me.  

My wife and I practiced our Catholic faith by going to church every Sunday, raising our children with Christian values and getting involved in a few church activities.  It wasn’t until we experienced a renewal of our faith through the power of the Holy Spirit in our mid-30’s that I began to look at the purpose for my life in the context of God’s will for me.  Through that renewal experience, I began to have a desire to spend time with God each day in prayer and come to know him more fully by regularly reading scripture. 

God enlarged my perspective of purpose.  Loving and serving my family, and serving my employer and others were part of his desire for me.  I came to understand that God wants us to be good stewards of the time, talents, responsibilities and people he entrusts to our care.  Just as he commanded Peter at the end of John’s Gospel to feed and take care of his sheep, he commands us to love and take care of the people he puts in our lives.  He wants us to help lead them to Him and where he wants them to be.

“And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

After hearing the Christmas story over and over, year after year, we might be tempted to take it for granted.  Yet if we think about it, God’s willingness to become one of us is the greatest act of humility and love in all of human history.  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” John 1:14

Here we have God, the Father, creator of all that exists, creator of the millions of galaxies and the billions of stars whose distance is measured in light years; this God who created the atom and the molecule whose size is measured in nanometers – that’s one billionth of a meter; this God who created the human being with a body, soul, spirit and mind, became one of his created in order to free each of us from our sins and the world from its bondage to sin – to reconcile us to him and one another.

Father William Barry, in his book, A Friendship Like No Other, says, “God took humanity seriously enough to become one of us, and we do God no service if we downplay what God has done in becoming human.”

God in Jesus was a real human being, born of Mary in the humblest of circumstances in a cave or stable with animals nearby.  He had to be toilet trained, learn a language, be raised by real parents, work out his vocation and discern the will of God just as we do.   His family was forced into exile to Egypt to escape the sword of Herod.  After assuming his public ministry, the leaders of his own religion handed him over to the Romans to die a horrible death.  God is no stranger to suffering.  God in Jesus knows what human life is like from the inside.  His desire for friendship and to dwell with us and in us knows no bounds.

A cobbler does not become a shoe, a cabinet maker does not become a cabinet, but God the Father and creator of all that exists became one of us.  Little wonder that history’s calendar is measured in terms of before and after this event.

Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus for what it is – the greatest act of humility and love in all of history.

How much does fear drive your decisions? 

When God called Jeremiah as a prophet, Jeremiah resisted saying that he did not know how to speak and that he was too young.  The Lord responded, “Do not be afraid…for I am with you.” (Jer. 1:8)

Throughout scripture God tells people not to be afraid.  In Genesis, he tells Isaac not to be afraid of King Abimelech and the Philistines.  (Gen. 26:24)  Moses tells Joshua and the people to be e strong and courageous and not to be afraid of the people they will encounter when they cross the Jordan River.  (Deut. 31:6)  As Jesus sends out his disciples to heal, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God, he tells them not to be afraid. (Mt. 10:26) When angels appear to Zachariah, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds in connection with Jesus’ birth, their first words are, “Do not to be afraid.” (Luke 1 and 2) Among Jesus’ last words to the disciples were, “Do let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

For God to place this much emphasis on overcoming our fears suggests that fear plays a significant role in whether we live by faith and make daily decisions in accordance with God’s will and purpose.

While fear is an emotion that is part of our human nature to protect us against threats to our safety, it can negatively impact us in many ways when carried to excess.  Examples include fear of rejection and what others may think; fear of being humiliated and corrected; fear of failure and defeat; fear of change and the future; and fear of physical harm and death, to name a few.

Fear can keep us from doing the things we should be doing, cause us to worry unnecessarily about outcomes, and even get us off track in fulfilling God’s will in various areas of our lives.

A couple of years ago, I felt a nudge from the Lord to volunteer with the Chaplain’s office at the local county jail.  After completing the training, I must confess that I was somewhat fearful and intimidated by the structure, discipline and strict procedures of the jail environment.  Even the sound of the heavy steel doors clanging behind me was intimidating.

After encountering the inmates, however, I came to realize that there was not that much difference between them and me.  We are each created by God in his image and likeness, and loved by him in the same way.  God has given me a love for these men.   

I hurt for them.  I desire for them to come into relationship with Jesus and be blessed by his presence in their lives.  This love for them has overcome my fear.  “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love casts out fear.”  (1 John 4:18)

Trusting in God and his love for us is the antidote to fear.  “The Lord is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)