Happy Praying Wednesday! Elie Wiesel retold this story from Jewish folklore: A traveler loses his way in the forest. It is dark and he is afraid. Danger lurks behind every tree. A thunderclap shatters the silence. The fool looks at the lightning, the wise man looks at the road that lies—illuminated—before him. 

It seems to me that we are in this same story. We can either stare at the COVID-19 statistics, feeling better or worse, growing anxious or angry, based on the daily numbers. OR we can see the opportunity that we have right now to hear in this storm that same voice of Jesus who spoke to other believers some years back, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them”. 

Prayer is opening the door. Prayer is a shared meal with the One who loves you most. I find myself wanting to pour rocket fuel on the spark in you that longs to pray better and draw nearer to Him. 

Know that our LORD longs to be nearer to you even more than you long to be nearer to Him. I prayed for you this morning—for all of us—during my pre-dawn walk, that He would get our best energy, that we would apply our God-given wills to pursuing intimacy with Him, and that this world would be better for it. 

Praying with you and for you! 

Grace and Peace,

Andrew 

P.S. The Elie Wiesel story comes from Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction in the chapter on Psalm 120.