Sometimes we just need to get away from it all. The stress, the concerns, the heartache, the bad news; all of it. With each addition to our proverbial plate, the weight seems to become heavier and heavier. Something small could happen, but alongside everything else, it feels like a ton of bricks has just been added. This sense of overwhelming is burdensome, it’s hard, it’s never-ending when you’re in the middle of it. So, how do we cope? What mechanisms are in place for us to deal with the amount of stress in our lives, in our hearts, on our minds?
Again, Scripture helps us. Jesus continually walks away from the crowds and his friends throughout his life. He doesn’t throw his hands up and say, “You know what, I think I’ll just leave and let all this fall apart. It isn’t worth it.” He knows better. He knows that he’s here for a purpose, and that his duty is literally a life then death scenario. But he takes time away. Away from it all. He doesn’t go to beaches or to mountains—he does that when he preaches. Instead, we see instances of Christ walking away from his amigos to do one thing:
Pray.
Christians, especially nominal ones or jaded ones, will often talk about prayer as an after-thought. “Yeah, I’ll pray, but first I have to do something about all this chaos. I have to fix things.” That’s not the way it works, friends. We don’t jump into action and try to solve our own issues (or those of others when asked) before we pray. We pray first. We get away from it all, even for five minutes, and we convene with God. That vital moment of silent prayer is the catalyst for our actions afterward. If we don’t take it, we’re not doing it right. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me. If Christ, God incarnate, needed time to pray before striking out again and dealing with the various tasks set before him, then why don’t we? Why wouldn’t we?
There’s a term for this, it’s called ‘Functional Atheism’. FA is when we espouse a belief in God, say that we’re Christians and that God has us, but then choose to find our own way first rather than consult Him. Many of us fall into this trap of trying to fix our own problems without seeking the God who defeated death. Surely that death slayer can hear us when we cry out and give us strength. Give us answers. Or simply give us peace. One of the three always occurs. ALWAYS. Whether it be grief, or loneliness; poverty or relationship woes; sickness or depression—our God wants to be there with us. He doesn’t want us to be there, and he never places us there, but just like Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden, God follows us into the unknown. Even when we’re thrust out into it against our desires.
I would encourage you, and myself, to pray first, then act. Without a daily prayer life, none of this gets easier. It’s like taking on the act of pushing against the ocean—it can’t be done, and we all end up getting swallowed by the deep water. Prayer isn’t a magic balm to every situation in terms of ‘fixing’ things that are wrong. But prayer is a conversation with someone who loves us more than any other being in the universe—someone who understands us to our marrow. If you’re struggling, pray. If you’re lonely, pray. If you’re sick or hurting or despondent…pray. God will send someone or something to you, whether it be an old friend or new, a bumper sticker or a t-shirt saying. Something will jump out at you because you asked for help. God is always here, God never walks away. So why should we wait to seek Him? We shouldn’t. When we feel the need to get away, the answer is right before us, just as it always has been. We should step aside, walk a small distance (whether literally or figuratively) and know that God is right behind us. He will listen, and you may not get what you want, but you’ll always receive what you need.
Pray. Believe. Act. Repeat.
The rest will follow. And the ‘rest’ will follow.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+