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Hurricane Isaias is heading toward the shores of our diocese. We know where it is today, but we don't know where it will be tomorrow. And we certainly don't know what it will leave behind. The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast spans the Florida Panhandle and the southern half of Alabama, with 60 Episcopal churches all facing the same uncertainty about what today and tomorrow may bring.
We will keep everyone apprised as to the response and recovery efforts that will begin this weekend. The Holy Smoker Grill Team is on standby, ready to head west in the coming weeks. For now, we wait in a whirlwind of darkness, leaning towards the light.
Because we don’t know what the future holds, we pray. We pray that God will be with first responders and public officials, keeping them safe. We ask God to watch over those who lack the means to prepare for the storm. We beseech God to lift up those who will struggle after this storm, heal those who are injured, and be with the families and friends who must contend with change they never wanted.
We pray even though these requests, and many more, are asked of God every day. That’s all right; God can handle it. God can do the impossible, and does it every day. God heals the person who doesn’t expect to ever be whole. God comforts the person who just can’t seem to say the right thing or make the right decision, even if made with pure intentions. God consoles the sinner: you, me, and them.
Sometimes we don't even know what we need. Some people just want someone to listen, while others desperately want to be heard. Some people want to be right, while others simply don't want to be wrong. Some people want to be loved, while others just don't want to be hated. And sometimes, in our prayers, we confuse what we want with what we need.
We bring all those concerns to God, and more. And on a day like this, our requests are tinged with confusion and sadness. By asking God to spare one region, are we somehow asking that another bear the storm instead? Surely that's not what we intend. But it does raise an important question, one we should always ask: Are we praying for God to do our will, or asking for the grace to do God's?
I’ve stopped giving God directions. If you find yourself offering advice to God, hurricanes are a great place to begin a new spiritual practice. Instead of asking that the storm will go that way or dissipate, what if we asked God for the grace to stand at the precipice of what comes next and know that God is already at work? There is nothing wrong with asking God to spare your home. But perhaps our prayers shouldn't end with at our front door.
Find a BCP and open to page 304, the Baptismal Covenant. Being marked as Christ's own forever also means accepting a yoke: to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Start your prayer about Hurricane Isaias with that reminder. We may
not know where the storm will go, or what tomorrow will bring.
But we do know what God asks of us.
And when the time comes, we already know
our answer: “I will, with God's help.”
Love Big and Be Well,
Stephen +
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