I’m heading out of town tomorrow for some solitude. Or as friends in the past have described it, my “leave me the hell alone” time. Hopefully I’ll update this blog with whatever thoughts come my way.
In the meantime, I wanted to share something from the “Celtic Daily Prayers” that I’m reading as a daily devotional. There is a liturgical responsive reading that is done each morning. Here is a portion of it:
Who is it that you seek?
We seek the Lord our God.
Do you seek Him with all your heart?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek Him with all your soul?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek Him with all your mind?
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Do you seek Him with all your strength?
Amen. Christ, have mercy.
What honesty this expresses! The question is “do you seek him with everything?” The answer is “yes” … but with a humble addition of “Lord, have mercy.” In other words, the answer is “yes, I seek Him with everything I have….but Lord have mercy, because that may not be entirely true, even though I want it to be…and Lord have mercy, because I have no idea what I’m actually saying when I say that I’m doing all that I can.”
I like it. It expresses our desire to go all out for our Lord, but it also acknowledges our own fallen state and inability to truly put everything we have on the line for Christ. We come before God not as prideful adherents to a strict code, but as humble servants just trying our best and seeking mercy for anything less.
There have been times when I was utterly dependent on the Lord, but I sheepishly admit that there are times when I didn’t feel like I needed my faith at all. Not a time of doubt … but a time of arrogance, as if I had it all under control and didn’t need a Divine Being to interfere. We all have such moments; we all harbor those times of selfish independence. Thankfully, God forgives, and hopefully we are gently (rather than harshly) reminded of our need for the Lord.
We need God. We need to pursue God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Amen. Lord, have mercy.