Guidance

Can we force God to do things for us? The monks in the desert had thrown away their old lives so they could get closer to God. They did this in many ways, through fasts, praying more than they slept, living in caves with few possessions. Some of them saw this relationship with God as transactional: if I do all these pious things, I will get closer to God. Today’s story warns against that attitude. 

They said of a hermit that he went on fasting for 70 weeks, eating a meal only once a week. He asked God the meaning of a text of the holy scriptures and God did not reveal it to him. So he said to himself, "I have worked hard and gained nothing. I will go to my brother ( i.e., a monk) and ask him." Just as he had shut his door on the way out, an angel of the Lord was sent to him; the angel said, "The 70 weeks of your fast have not brought you near to God but now that you are humbled and going to your brother, I've been sent to show you the meaning of the text." He explained to him what he had asked and went away.

The monk is reminded that God does not take orders, but instead, asks for humility. This is not the same as ignorance. The monk was honest about not understanding the meaning of some scripture. He could admit he was not all-knowing. His problem lay is thinking that his fasting was some kind of accomplishment that would impress God. What God wants is not achievement, but humility. 

In later Christian theology we talk about this in terms of grace. Jesus sacrificed his life to save us all; we don’t need to prove how pious we are to earn entry into the circle of the saved. Rather, we must come to terms with the fact that nothing we can do will earn us God’s love, that is freely given. This is very hard on our egos, which demand that others see us as a special, including God. If we are not special, accomplished, then our ego doesn’t feel appreciated. This feeling is an opportunity, not a problem. Right, you are not such a big deal. Nonetheless, you are God’s beloved child. Lean into that, without pride, and your life can be transformed. It will also make it much easier to ask others for help, and to offer help, too. Peace. 

-Rev. Stephen Milton, Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto

Quotation source: The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks, Translated by Benedict Ward, ( London, 2003), p. 166. 

If you would like to subscribe to this series, please contact stephen@lawrenceparkchurch.ca