This week I had a wonderful conversation with a sweet friend that I haven’t talked with in a while. This woman, who has endured much suffering and is still in a place of hardship and questioning, amazed me with her continued and deepening sense of joy and peace. Throughout our conversation, she used an open palm gesture to indicate her heart’s posture toward God during this long season. We talked for a long time about what it has looked like for each of us to let go of some hopes and dreams and to wait in trust for what comes next in our lives.
Lately, I’ve been studying the practice of praying the Welcoming Prayer, prevalent in the teachings of Thomas Keating. Although I was introduced to this prayer about two years ago and have attempted to practice it sporadically ever since, I still find myself resistant in some ways to it. This prayer expresses an intention of consent to feelings, situations, people, and emotions that I would normally fight against. Far from being about resignation to discomfort, the prayer teaches that when I open to the presence of God in all of these human experiences, I incrementally find myself freer to experience joy and peace. As I become more at peace with myself and my situation, the more joy that emulates from me. The atmosphere around me changes, and miraculously, there is a ripple effect on the lives of others.
As I was meditating on a section in Acts 12 this week, I noticed some things about Peter. I saw that the same Peter who once walked on water and yet struggled with doubt and denial is now pictured in chained in a dark prison dungeon to two bulky guards, with more of them posted outside. The same Peter who, along with his other friends, once remained wide-eyed and sleepless during a terrible storm, now slept so soundly in this uncomfortable and menacing place that an angel had to tap him on his side to wake him up!
I noticed how detailed the recording of what the angel said to Peter is here. “Get up, put on your clothes and your shoes, and wrap your cloak around you.”
As Peter followed these simple instructions, his chains fell off and he was led past the guards into freedom.
A few musings:
You would think that Peter was a tremendous threat to the world, as heavily guarded as he was. This is interesting, since the people who put him in this prison didn’t believe in what he represented. Ever notice how much effort goes into arguing against our faith by those who are not fortunate enough to believe it?
As the angel reminded Peter to put on his clothes, shoes and coat, I noticed how much these items of clothing resemble the armor listed in Ephesians chapter six and our robe of righteousness given to us by Jesus. What these articles of clothing represent to us spiritually is even more valuable to us that the physical protection they offer. The gate to his destination opened on its own accord. Neither Peter nor the angel did anything to make it happen.
Peter’s demeanor had changed in some important ways since his encounter with Jesus post-resurrection. His shame was gone, but along with it, some of his drivenness. We now see a man who is passionate about the gospel, but much more mature in how he lives it out. I see peace, humility, and trust in place of those more troublesome traits. This is surely an indication of a Spirit-filled life!
As wonderful as it is to reflect on these things, it somehow helps me even more to realize what Peter had to surrender to arrive at such a place:
Fear: Anxiety and dread would have kept him awake instead of the sleep he needed to do what came next.
Control: Resorting to making plans for overcoming what was humanly impossible would have doubtless resulted in a failed escape attempt. It most certainly would have robbed him of peace.
Self-pity: Self-pity and its sidekicks, blame, guilt, and shame may have blinded him to the presence of the angel.
Doubt: Doubt might have caused him to refuse to go with the angel and he would have remained a prisoner.
Self-reliance and impulsivity: These would have left him unprotected and without guidance, and likely back in chains.
Adopting a posture such as my friend demonstrated with her open, upward-facing palms, and practicing prayers of surrender – no, not just surrender, but welcome – can be used by the Spirit in my life to lead me into more freedom than I can imagine. This both scares and excites me!
If you think you’d like to learn alongside me about the practice of Welcoming Prayer, consider joining me on Thursday, June 25th, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Safe Harbor’s Chloe Waldrop-Taylor Renewal Center. Class size will be limited to 5, for the purpose of social distancing. Email me at debbie@gracefordays.com to register.