Individuality

Individuality

People are individuals.  Regrettably, many people yield to the prejudicial tendency of lumping people into groups.  Labels describing race, religion, sex, creed, politics and other affiliations suffice in telling us who people are.  Moreover, we prefer people fit comfortably into the boxes we assign them.  However, if we take time to talk with people and hear their stories, we realize no one ever fits our prevalent stereotypes.  Life’s choices, challenges and circumstances of life are far too complex to characterize any unique person with fallacious generalities.  As people are individuals, they deserve the time it requires to get to know them.

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a day when people would be judged by the content of their characters rather than the color of their skin.  We cannot make assumptions about someone based upon external indicators.  Because we share a racial heritage, religious beliefs, similar profession or other qualities with another person does not mean we know him or her.  Actually, we know very little about the rudiments of his or her life.  We know people as we observe their characters and principles in a moral crisis or ethically quandary.  We learn who they are as they demonstrate their values through their choices.  The color of a person’s skin reveals very little about whether that individual possesses genuine consideration for poor people, racial minorities and other vulnerable citizens who have been historically oppressed by the dominant culture.

The Lord Jesus Christ says a tree is known by the fruit that it bears.  Someone calling with juicy, backbiting and scurrilous news about another person automatically tells you more about the caller than the object of his or her scorn.  As it relates to knowing people, actions do indeed speak louder than words.  People tell you who they are through their deeds more so than their words.  Additionally, trustworthy and faithful people demonstrate their potential to be friends.  They bear the fruit of confidentiality, kindness and love.

Carl G. Jung defined the process of individuation as acceptance of one’s unique personality.  It entails maturity of character as your words and deeds cohere.  More significantly, it involves discovery of the divine spark God graciously gives each person.  Self-acceptance empowers us to be true to ourselves.  It also enables us to live consistently with our values; essentially, individuation results in integrity and wholeness.

Remaining within the squalor of prejudices shortchanges our ability to cultivate genuine and lifelong friends.  Because people are individuals, we must get to know them as unique persons with distinct personalities.  Interestingly, the people who share our outward similarities are often least like us as it relates to values, worldview and priorities.  All Black people do not engage the struggle for justice and equality.  All White people are not racist.  No one race has a monopoly on greed.  Yet, if we persist in defining people in these superficial ways, then we will miss the blessing of many unique individuals who will bring extraordinary richness to our lives.

Forfeiting genuine and trustworthy love is the greatest loss for those persons who insist upon labeling people.  Love does not always fit into neat categories of race, class, education, religion and ethnicity.  Some of the most passionate and enduring marriages include men and women whom the “standards” of society would never have chosen for each other.  These socio-economic and socio-religious hybrids create very loving families.  As two loving individuals covenant to grow together, they build a healthy, reliable and enduring relationship regardless of their external qualities.

Essentially, people are individuals and deserve grace and consideration for their particular personalities.  If we must judge others, then let us heed the recommendation of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Examine the content of character instead of the color of skin.  Look to the fruit of a person’s actions rather than the poetry of his or her words.  As we listen to a person’s story and perhaps walk a mile in his shoes, then we really come to know him.  In most instances, we realize we have a new friend. 

The Power of Prayer – Part One

Unfortunately, many persons in the Church seemingly underestimate the power of prayer.  Our rational, scientific and technologically advancing age discourages prayer’s worth and necessity.  Pejoratively, some equate prayer with religious superstition.  Others do so out of tradition and ritualism.  They don not approach this ever-important spiritual discipline with genuine faith; thus, they fail to access the power of prayer.

The book of Acts depicts prayer as the foundation of great miracles, monumental preaching and tremendous evangelistic campaigns in the early Church.  Consider how diligently the saints in the New Testament Church pray.  Essentially, prayer is the source of their power.  In Acts 12, Peter is on death row awaiting execution just after the religious holidays.  The Church gathers and prays for his release.  An angel of the Lord frees Peter in the middle of the night.  The apostle Paul and his missionary companion are praying and singing hymns at midnight when an earthquake occurs in Acts 16.  There are many other examples throughout the book in which prayers are the foundation of the apostles’ accomplishments in the name of the Lord.

In the gospels, the Lord Jesus faithfully devotes Himself to prayer.  He rises early in the morning and retreats to a quiet place to pray (Mark 1:36).  Before He raises Lazarus from the dead, the Lord Jesus pauses and prays.  He thanks God the Father for always hearing Him.  He asks that the forthcoming miracle will aid the observers in believing God the Father sent God the Son (John 11:41-42).  On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus goes to His favorite prayer spot, the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prays for the final time to receive divine strength to meet the challenge of Calvary (Matthew 26:36-46).  In fact, He is arrested shortly after praying for fulfillment of the will of Almighty God.  Consequently, if the Lord, Himself, has to pray, how much more do current disciples have to do so?

The Bible is replete with wonderful prayers.  I highly recommend a study of prayers in the Bible.  In Genesis 18:16-33, Abraham intercedes for Sodom.  He appeals to the righteousness of Almighty God to spare the “righteous” within the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  In Daniel 9, the prophet implores the Name of God to graciously yield God’s mercy to Israel.  Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:9-18 fervently prays for a son.  After Samuel, the first prophet in Israel, is born to her, Hannah returns to the Temple and offers a prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2:1-11.  The prophet, Elisha, prays that God opens the eyes of his attendant and remove his fear of destruction (2 Kings 6:8-23).  To a great extent, the entire book of Psalms is an immortal collection of prayers.  Evidently, David taught Solomon the importance of prayer.  As Solomon ascends the throne of Israel, he prays for wisdom to lead the people of God correctly.  Then, Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple remains one of the most outstanding prayers ever offered to Almighty God (1 Kings 8:22-53).  In John 17, the Lord Jesus offers the “High Priestly Prayer” in which He prays for the Church of today. 

Furthermore, prayer is a major motif in many memorable biblical accounts.  Samson asks the Lord for one last bit of strength to defeat the enemies of Israel.  Hagar appeals to the Lord in the midst of the wilderness for her son’s survival.  Mary, the mother of our Lord, treasures the blessings of the Lord in her heart and prays the “Magnificant” jubilantly.  Paul and Silas’ midnight prayers and hymn singing become the catalyst for the salvation and baptism of the household of the Philippian jailer.  Cornelius’ daily discipline of prayer causes the Lord to send the apostle Peter to Cornelius.  Thus, the Gentiles receive the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In essence, prayer undergirds divine actions.

Prayer is not magic!  It is the act of lifting one’s heart’s desire to the light of Almighty God’s face.  It is done with the “full assurance of faith and a sincere heart;” according to Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”  Moreover, prayer is a period of personal empowerment.  As we ask God to resolve our daily challenges, He gives us wisdom, knowledge, courage and persistence to overcome all adversities.  He directs us to the appropriate persons whose hearts are favorable toward us.  These people are God’s vessels of love and encouragement as we triumph within our circumstances. 

The Power of Prayer – Part Two

If prayer does not change our situations, it most certainly changes us.  Prayer affords an opportunity to examine selfish ambition and self-centered fear.  A lot of what we want, we simply do not need.  Many of our conflicts with others largely result from selfish motives.  We fail to accept the roles we play in strained relationships.  Prayer assists in stripping away the blinders.  As we lift our requests to the light of God’s holiness, its brilliance burns away the dross of personal preferences. 

Do you pray for the people who ask?  Do you pray for the people whom you tell, “I’ll be prayerful.”  Prayer is one of the most important things we can do for others.  I suggest we take very seriously our Christian responsibility to intercede for others.  I pray the Holy Spirit constantly reminds us to establish a sacred time for prayer and meditation.  Thereby, we boldly approach God’s throne requesting fulfillment of His will for our loved ones, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.

When we pray for others, what should we ask?  Is it not presumptuous to pray about another person’s problems?  We have limited knowledge of the facts.  There are times when people state very specific prayer requests.  Certainly, those particular desires guide our prayers.  However, the apostle Paul describes the will of God as “good, pleasing and perfect.”  Accordingly, I submit we can always pray for the will of God in any situation.  Although we do not often know the details, we realize God’s will is best in every scenario.  It is helpful to ask for revelation of His will as assuredly resolves any challenges of the people for whom we pray.

The apostle, James, emphasizes the necessity of prayer.  He asks, “Are any among you suffering?  They should keep on praying about it.”  (James 5:13)  Prayer yields solutions to the suffering.  Actually, it reveals ideas and approaches for transforming suffering into redemptive purposes.  Further, James asks, “Are there among you sick?  They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”  Evidently, the early church practiced taking all illnesses to the fellowship of believers.  If the individual lacked the requisite faith to pray diligently for healing, the members of the Church would support him in his earnest quest for healing and wholeness.  Conceivably, they did not have access to physicians and healthcare that we do.  They, however, had unlimited access to Almighty God and His healing power. 

Though we enjoy the rich blessing of state-of-the-art medicine, we still pray for healing.  We pray physicians, nurses, attendants and others on the medical staff are as professional and lucid as possible.  We ask God for special revelation of knowledge and wisdom in their practice of medicine and care for patients.  As sickness comes in many forms, physical disease is but one type of illness.  Many people suffer from emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual sicknesses that inhibit their ability to actualize their God given talents.  For that reason, the Church encourages them to come to the “house of prayer” and seek inner healing and wholeness.  We request God’s especial revelation of grace, love and peace to empower them in eliminating barriers to their success and wholeness.

Interestingly, illness provides a perfect passageway into a greater revelation of Almighty God’s unfailing love and faithful provision.  Whereas no one seeks this predicament, should it befall him, he realizes rewards of God’s indescribable grace and enduring mercy.  God concretizes these divine attributes in the personalities and good deeds of His faithful disciples.  Our visits, prayers, phone calls, meals, cards, letters, and other acts of kindnesses demonstrate the love of Almighty God.

Presumably, the early Christians sought the prayers of the “elders of the Church” because they were seasoned “prayer warriors.”  It stands to reason that these believers were mature in the faith, having witnessed the power and benefits of prayer.  In the parlance of my upbringing in South Carolina, they knew “how to get a prayer through.”  As a consequence, the sick and afflicted called upon them to utilize the lessons of their spiritual journeys and the privileges of their relationships with the Lord to effect the healing of the sick.

In addition, young believers resolved the elders had the requisite faith to deliver fervent prayers that yielded healing and forgiveness.  James says in the fifteenth verse of the fifth chapter, “And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well.  And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”  Sin is the sickness of the soul.  It is a spiritual disease, which separates the sinner from the source of life and being.  A genuine confession and humble prayer for reconciliation are cures to sin.  The elders of the Church have a unique privilege and prerogative to ask God to give wisdom, to any sinner who sincerely asks thereby enabling his restoration to the Lord and Church. 

The Power of Prayer – The Conclusion

Confession of sin within the context of loving relationships amongst disciples inevitably leads to collective healing from the sin which is a pattern of choices and behavior that undermine one’s relationship with a holy and loving God.  Practically speaking, this pattern eventually and considerably harms a person; it may result in disease, debt, depression, divorce and even death.  Therefore, it is imperative the Church offers a refuge.  There, he finds “righteous people” who pray earnestly for him.  James declares these prayers will obtain “powerful and wonderful results.” 

Who are the “righteous?”  They are persons who live in right relationship with Almighty God.  All of the previously mentioned biblical characters boldly and fervently ask for their heart’s desires because of their close relationships with God.  One of prayer’s primary purposes is the maintenance of our constant contact with our heavenly Father.  In its simplest form, prayer is relational, practical and experiential.  It furthers the development of a vibrant relationship with the Maker of heaven and earth.  Prayer provides practical and spiritual tools to resolve any situation.  Keeping a prayer journal enables us to record personal experiences of the grace and love of God. 

The “righteous” understand their distinct privilege to pray about anything and everything.  From a hurtful hangnail to death, prayer is the response of the righteous.  Seldom does the social, economic and political turmoil of the world greatly disturb the righteous.  In response, they pray and ask God to empower His chosen people to be His vessels in settling these conflicts of culture, religion, money and power.  Whether dealing with micro or macro issues, personal or societal, the righteous never forsake the spiritual arsenal of prayer.  Indeed, prayer changes things; if not things, then people.

Norman Vincent Peale offers some rather helpful insights on prayer in his book, The Tough Minded Optimist.  He tells the story of a television personality who bemoans his difficulty in selling a house.  This guy’s house had been on the market for a while.  He expresses his frustration about not being able to sell it at the price he wants.  Peale suggests this television show hosts pray and ask God to orchestrate circumstances for a family that really needs the house to discover it.  Also, Peale recommends this fellow prays the needs of this family are met in the deal as he sells them the house at a fair price.  This advice focuses upon what is best for all parties.

Peale’s recommendations encourage us to forsake the normal tendency of merely asking God for what we want.  Instead, we willingly open our hearts and minds to becoming God’s vessels of love and instruments of His grace.  Simply put, we ask God to use us in every situation to manifest His “good, pleasing and perfect” will.  As we pray about our daily challenges or enduring obstacles, we take Peale’s advice to heart.  In so doing, we ask God to resolve these dilemmas in ways that please Him and serve His children rather than satisfy our self-centered motives.

This final story about the power of prayer paints a very vivid picture of its necessity.  A missionary tells the story of being imprisoned in a Russian gulag.  His attempts to spread the gospel behind the Iron Curtain of the former U. S. S. R. lands him there.  As his sentence progresses and his isolation increases, he despairs about his abandonment by the Church throughout the world.  He even considers suicide.  Eventually, a Christian reporter reaches him and asks what his fellow believers can do to help.  He says, “Simply pray.”  All over the world, Christians began to pray.  In time, these spiritually vital prayers penetrate the depths of the Iron Curtain.  On several occasions, this missionary felt on the brink of physical death due to malnourishment and oppressive treatment.  But, he contends the fervent prayers of the righteous people of God brought him back to life!

I conclude with reference to a few enduring and great prayers.  First, the prayer the Lord teaches His disciples, “The Lord’s Prayer,” contains bedrock petitions for all believers.  Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is a prayer to which all disciples aspire, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done.”  Our Episcopalian brothers and sisters use The Book of Common Prayer, which contains many verbally illustrious and spiritually moving petitions.  Then, The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi remains a spiritual classic in defining daily spiritual objectives.  Finally, The Serenity Prayer offers immediate strength and wisdom in any perplexity.

The Power of the Word of God – Part One

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”  The author of Genesis uses those two verses to begin the creation story.  Life starts in utter darkness, implied chaos and with nothing except Almighty God.  Amazingly, He speaks into the void!  “Then God said, let there be light; and there was light.”  How marvelous, awesome and powerful is the Word of God!

In the midnight of oblivion, God’s word bursts onto the horizon and become the dawn of creation.  God speaks into nothing and makes a whole new universe.  Similarly, in the abyss of our lives, the Word of God can create a whole new life for us.  Yet, the Word of God is under assault.  The fiery challenges of a religiously, theologically, ideologically, ethnically, racially, socially, culturally, economically and politically pluralistic society coerces many believers to question the power of the Word of God.

Many churches no longer operate according to their covenants and biblical principles.  The affairs of the house of God rely upon secular, humanistic and corporate models, in which many believers work and earn their living.  Unfortunately, biblical illiteracy appears to have reached an all-time high.  It is simply amazing the number of lay leaders in the Church who do not know the Bible.  Therefore, they cannot appeal to it for decision-making.  Perhaps, they do not find the Bible relevant for the operation of the household of faith and in their personal affairs.  The scientifically advancing, technologically progressing, consumerist and materially oriented world lead them to depend upon a different paradigm for defining values.  Instead of the biblical principles, they refer to the law and the verities of the scientific method.

A recent anecdote that a parishioner shared with me vividly depicts the moral, ethical and spiritual bankruptcy pervading today’s Church.  She works in the service industry.  As she serves her clients, they share their personal, spiritual, professional, financial, marital and familial problems with her.  In response, she suggests that they stop and pray.  Surprisingly, they answer, “Look, this is serious.  I really need help here.”  More amazing, some of these persons are leaders within their churches!

Consider the possibility that the Bible actually possesses eternal wisdom for each of those foregoing challenges.  Why did not these lay leaders simply search the scriptures for a resolution to the obstacles in their lives?  What leads them to ignore the Bible?  What alternative sources of “spirituality” do they find more beneficial and worthwhile?   I posit the previously mentioned social forces undermine believers’ confidence in the Word of God.  In addition, the refusal of many disciples to prioritize spiritual disciplines in learning and appropriating the Bible in daily living furthers this crisis.

Rather than being indifferent to the Word of God, believers should reaffirm its invaluable position in the Church.  The Bible is a “lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] pathway.”  It is life’s textbook.  It addresses all facets of human experience.  Its drama put the television and movie industry to shame.  Palace intrigue, adultery, murder, betrayal, fratricide, incest, burning romance, embezzlement, poisonous family secrets, etc., all of these human situations and countless others adorn the leaves of holy writ.  These ageless stories illustrate enduring lessons from which we can extrapolate God’s eternal wisdom and guidance.  Rediscover the power of the Word of God!

The grand one hundred and nineteenth psalm is an ode to the beauty of the laws of God.  In its one hundred and seventy-six verses, David utilizes this most lengthy of the psalms to testify passionately to his genuine reliance upon the Word of God.  Whether traveling the wide highway of personal willfulness, David unquestionably trusts the Words of God.  In Psalm 119:65, David commends Almighty God for His faithful provision and unfailing love.  “You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word.”  David does separate God’s character and lovingkindness from His word.  Further, David insists that the Word of God provides the only reliable foundation for life.

The Power of the Word of God - Conclusion

A more practically applicable verse which describes the incalculable worth of the Bible is Hebrews 4:12.  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  This verse details the personal relevance and spiritual applicability of the Bible.

It is “living and powerful.”  The Bible travels through human history and provides answers for each generation.  Historians record the fundamental role of the Bible in the English Revolution of 1646, the American Revolution of 1776, the slave uprisings and resistance in the antebellum South, the American Civil War and in the apartheid resistance movement in South Africa.  For the individual, the Bible supplies answers to daily emotional, psychological, physical, relational, vocational and spiritual circumstances.  Its power emerges from the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  The “living and powerful” Word of God remains the surest and safest haven for the believer.

The image of a double-edged sword brilliantly illustrates the potential of the Word of God to demolish our enemies, internal and external.  Elsewhere, the apostle Paul describes the Word of God as “the sword of the Spirit.”  It is an offensive weapon, which empowers the believer to triumph over the adversities of life.  Moreover, it “pierces the division of soul and spirit.”  In other words, it bridges the chasm between Creator and creature.  Should we find ourselves confused, we find clarity within the Word of God.  More significantly, the Bible assists us in achieving inner healing and wholeness.  The Word of God enables the individual believer to obtain the highest level of existence.

The Bible’s ability to reach to the depths of “joints and marrow” speaks of its usefulness in helping believers determine their motives.  A clear knowledge of one’s motives is necessary to spiritual, moral and ethical integrity.  The commandment to love one’s neighbor as one’s self and the dictate to abide by the Golden Rule requires a lucid appreciation of one’s motives. 

The Bible is replete with verses, which characterize the human heart as the essence of a person’s being.  Accordingly, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches, “Out of the heart flows the issues of life.”  In addition, He says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  Nonetheless, the Word of God discerns the “thoughts and intents of the heart.”  It aids us in determining whether we have intention and willingness to follow the will of Almighty God.  The human heart either seeks the “good, pleasing and perfect” will of the Lord or it desires self-seeking motives which develop from fear.  To actualize our spiritual dimensions, we need the Word of God to sift through the layers of self-centeredness.

Whereas the Bible is an offensive spiritual weapon for an individual believer, it works just as effectively for a collective body of disciples.  A church must be people of the Book.  The Bible must play a predominant role in a church’s decision-making.  It cannot be subordinated to personal preference regardless of the number of people who may agree.  Instead, the Word of God must be the rule for formulating principles and setting policy.  Combined with the Church Covenant, the Book of Church Order, the By-laws and reason, the Bible holds the most reliable source of wisdom for any community of faith.

Furthermore, the Bible contains a number of varied self-descriptions about itself.  James’ image of mirror particularly stands out in my thinking; he says anyone who hears the Word of God and does not follow it is like a person who looks in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like.  Yet, if the man looks purposefully into the “perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”  Essentially, the mirror of the Word of God reflects the image of God which only the disciple can see if he looks intently into the Bible; and endeavors to walk in the path of God’s ways.

Contemporary believers have the best chance of reaping the promises and blessings of the Bible through a daily and vibrant relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the personified Word of God, the Logos of John 1:1 who was present at Genesis 1:1.  Following the example of His sinless life most clearly helps us to be doers of the Word of God.  As we rightly relate to Him, we realize the power of the Word of God.

The Prayer of the Righteous - Matthew 27:45-46

The Prayer of the Righteous - Matthew 27:45-46

In this passage, the Lord Jesus Christ offers an immortal prayer, as He is dying on the cross.  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”  Actually, Matthew’s quotation is an abbreviation of Psalm 22, which some biblical scholars believe Jesus recites in its entirety.  Nevertheless, He prays as a righteous man submitting to death unjustly; having been betrayed by a close associate and denied by many others.

This prayer ideally captures the sentiment of our hearts when we juxtapose extensive evil in the world although we believe in an all-powerful, all-kind, ever-present and all-knowing God.  Why does He allow evil to flourish and the righteous to experience pain and suffering?  If God is just, then He will intervene and reverse this trend.  With the great Russian author, Dostoevsky, we cannot comprehend the misery to which children are subjected.  I recall one winter in New York City in which every weekend a baby was abandoned by someone.  In fact, some of these babies were left in garbage dumps in sub-zero temperatures.  Others were left in gym bags in parks.  Countless children in the foster care system are often abused, neglected and mistreated by people whom the State entrust with their care.  Innocent children do not deserve any oppression and cruelty that befalls them.  In response to such tragedy, one asks, “Where is God?” 

The words of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross, “My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me,” are “The Prayer of the Righteous.”  We utter this prayer in our own words when we stumble in darkness.  We cannot make sense out of our predicament.  We endeavor to rightly relate ourselves to God; yet, as victims of very difficult circumstances, we fall prey to the temptation of believing the bleakness of our situation eclipses God’s righteousness.

This text is puzzling!  Here we have a man who studied the great teachings and teachers of his religion, who gives common persons a new appreciation for Almighty God whom the Law reveals.  This carpenter from Nazareth possesses a unique ability to love everyone, particularly the downtrodden.  With the power of the Spirit of God, he preaches about the coming kingdom of God in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  He teaches crowds of people about God’s limitless love that undergirds the Law.  In fact, he summarizes the entire law with two commands: first, love God with one’s entire being and second, love one’s neighbor as one’s self.  He heals innumerable people of myriad diseases and afflictions.  Zeal for the house of God consumes Him.  During the Passover festival, He enters the Temple courts and drives out the moneychangers who made the house of God equivalent of the New York Stock Exchange.  Nonetheless, this righteous man’s final hours find him bleeding to death on a cross.  As a consequence, He prays the words of the opening verses of the twenty-second psalm.

As it relates to the setting of the cross, the evangelist tells us “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over all the land.”  In these three hours of darkness, it appears God turns His back on this righteous man.  There are times in our lives when it seems God turns His back on us.  Martin Buber, in his commanding book, I and Thou, posits God recedes within the shadows of our challenges.  Nevertheless, in these trying times of adversity, the righteous simply pray.