God uses so many avenues to get our attention, and this morning for me He used my time in morning prayer. After yesterdays post I've been really thinking and praying about what it all means and how does this mean I'm to live? The Psalm for this morning was Psalm 50 and one verse really jumped out at me Ps. 50.21 "These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you." It immediately made me think of the many many times where I just stay silent instead of contradicting, challenging or just plain saying I don't agree with a statement or an action somebody has made. And there have been a few times when later I find out that my silence said to that person that I agreed.
I came home and did some reading on the verse and those around it and what I found was this. If the Psalm is addressing priest and Levites, it's saying that leaders are afraid to condemn what the people are doing lest they lose their stipends (for me lest I lose their approval, love, respect etc. etc) But this really hit home to me "Tolerating such deviousness, they give the impression that God also is deaf and blind to the situation" {Harper's Bible Commentary} That is a powerful call to me.
After morning prayer, Ann, the associate rector and I were talking about how hard it is sometimes to speak up whether it's because the people are family, whether you feel out numbered, or whether you know you will not be heard because some people just don't want to hear another view. It can be embarrassing. But as I told Ann, how is that any harder than holding church services in your home when you know you could be killed for it, or being a missionary to a dangerous place, or evangelizing on the corner? There are many more examples but I think if others can put their lives on the line for their faith, shouldn't I be able to put my "feelings" on the line?
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