NOTE: I am playing around with a different approach to my daily blog and would love for your input concerning this approach. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to read what this old preacher might be thinking.
Who is the watchman at the gate of the soul? Who is it that stands ready to protect us? Who is the one who watches our backs? We are always looking, seeking, hoping that someone … anyone … stands ready to defend us against all odds and all foes. We place our trust in others – friends and family mostly – only to have them disappoint us when we need them the most. The only watchman at the gate of the soul that really counts is God. He has shared that he will never forsake us. The Cross-stands as a testimony to that reality.
Scripture: Genesis 39:19-23
Joseph was thrown into prison. The Lord was his constant companion. God opened the heart of the prison warden to show kindness towards Joseph. Joseph was given great responsibilities while in prison. The warden trusted Joseph. Joseph experienced great success.
Reflection: A simple story. An encouraging story, especially for anyone who feels that those in authority disregards his or her efforts. We all have our “prisons”. Most of us would quickly testify to the fact that we don’t deserve being in our “prison” and yet, there we sit. In the midst of the muck of life (another way of looking at the concept of prison) the question comes as to who is our companion. Friends? Family? Many times they simply heap more “muck” upon us. It’s all your fault? You made your own bed? You have no one to blame but yourself? This results in the prison being darker and more confining. Within this context we come to realize that our only real companion is God. God doesn’t throw stones or pass judgmental statements. He stands fast. It will be God who changes the hearts of those around us. It will be God who changes the possibilities that lie before us. It will be God who brings any hope, any possibilities, any success. And we will be trusted once again to serve … even while we are still in prison.
Prayer: Lord, sometimes I can only see the four walls of my prison. Do I deserve to be locked up? … probably more than I am willing to admit, but here I am. Dear Heavenly Companion come and be with me. No one else can change the hearts of those who serve as my “warden”. No one else can bring back the level of trust once shared. No one else, but you. Amen
Further reflection from “Mutual Ministry” by James C. Fenhagen
Spiritual guidance is not therapy, nor is it the giving of advice. Its aim is to provide assistance in both clarification and discernment. It involves sitting down on a regular basis with someone you trust in order to examine, adjust, and recommit yourself to the disciplines that give substance to your journey. It might be that your spiritual guide is someone you do not normally see, but from whom you feel you will gain wisdom. Or it might be that you find a person who is a spiritual companion to you at the same time that you are a spiritual companion to him. It is incidental whether the relationship lasts a year or a lifetime. The important thing is that the relationship be one in which you are able to talk comfortably and reflectively about the unfolding process of your spiritual journey, knowing that Christ is made known through you to others.
The Struggle: My struggle is not getting depressed because of the prison. I find myself too often crying out with a “how long, O Lord, how long?” It is far to easy to allow the walls of the “prison” to close in upon us … at least in my case … getting to the point that all we (I) see are the four walls. Oh, I pray … and I trust God for an answer, but often – too often – my own spirit generates the answers that come and the results are not pretty. If we would look back over all of the stupid decisions we have made we will see a constant companion guiding us out of the prisons that we have made for ourselves. The struggle is keeping the focus on the Companion … the watchman at the gate of our soul.
O Come and Dwell in Me by Charles Wesley:
I want the witness, Lord,
That all I do is right,
According to thy mind and word,
Well-pleasing in thy sight.
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