Teach Me, O Lord

December 15 2008

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

By Beth DeCristofaro

Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, the utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees. (Numbers 24:15-17)

Teach me your ways, O Lord…He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (Psalm 25:4, 9)

So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:27)

Piety

O Gracious God, thank you for your unending compassion and kindness. Show me how to emulate you so that I might walk with you. Teach me to share kindness, show compassion, seek justice, and always act humbly in your name.

Study

God chooses the most unlikely people to be His mouthpiece. Moses stuttered. Jonah ran away. Balaam, in Numbers, is one of the enemies of Israel who worships a false god. Jesus, in Matthew, knows that the chief priests and elders are not acting as God’s mouthpieces. They act in their own interests. He gives them a chance to hear him – but challenges them to listen rather than have the answer handed to them because he knows they won’t accept the challenge, they won’t listen.

In a recent radio interview, Frank Schaeffer, son of a widely popular Evangelical minister and a founder of the religious right spoke about why he left that movement. Among other reasons, he rejected the cult of personality which characterizes much of the evangelical movement. Now a Greek Orthodox, he finds the principals of the Orthodox Church to be rooted in and speaking truth in ways in which his evangelical upbringing was deficient. Those who are called to be the mouthpiece of God must put aside their own desires, needs and wants.

We are all called to build God’s Kingdom. Most of us are not tasked as Jonah to save a city or bring a people to freedom as was Moses. But we are all called to speak God’s love in our actions and deeds. This calls for us to empty our own egos and allow God to break through. It was not about Moses. It was not about Jonah, or Balaam. Schaeffer came to understand it was not about him. And it is not about us. It is about God and God’s great love for each of his children. God reaches out to us in any myriad of wonderful ways.

Action

Who in your life has spoken God to you? A tough teacher who called you to a deeper insight into yourself? A coach who brought forth something in you which you previously did not trust? A friend or an opponent who pointed out a mistake or a sin from which you could be penitent and grow closer to God? Give thanks for them.

To whom do you need to speak God’s love today? Take time to be still with God so that you can hear God and speak God rather than yourself. Henri Nouwen explains why we must take time to be with God and practice listening to God: “The word authentic means ‘from the author.’ I usually realize after I have said something when it has come from a superficial part of myself - it's as though the real me has not authored it!” (Breaking Bread) Thank God for using you, in your imperfections and uniqueness, to speak His love to someone else.