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You Stay Hidden Within That Misery (Wednesdays with Walter)

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walter

It’s no secret that Leif and I have struggled over the years to connect spiritually through our personal times of devotion. In the early days of our marriage, we tried a laundry list of things that simply didn’t work. We began reading Oswald Chambers together on January 1 one year. By January 18, we couldn’t even find the book. We attempted reading the same passages of scripture for discussion, but also felt a sense of awkward disconnect. We tried reading the same books, listening to the same sermons among other practices and yet it always felt forced, unnatural, anything but, well, organic. Those images of spiritual marital bliss faded into the reality that growing spiritually together as a couple takes time, perseverance and hard work.

Over the last few years, we’ve found something that works. (And when you find something that works when it comes to spiritual disciplines, do it and keep on doing it!) We sit on the couch beside each other in the morning and read whatever we’re reading. I’m currently enjoying Bruce K. Waltke’s commentary on Genesis; Leif is making his way through The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan. As we read, we sometimes hmmm or oooh-ahhhh aloud, signifying we’ve found something special, then we share what we’re reading and our responses. It’s natural. Non-forced. The practice works for us. When we’re done, we each read a prayer aloud from Walter Brueggemann‘s Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth (a book given to us by our special friend Troy Champ). Then we spend time in prayer–for our families, our leaders, our friend, our world, and yes, you!–together aloud.

Brueggemann has a gift to bring hidden thoughts of the soul to light before God. Over the course of the fall, I wanted to share Walter Brueggemann with you every Wednesday. We invite you to join us for “Wednesdays With Walter” as you dive deeper in your own relation with God and prayer life:

You stay hidden within that misery

God holy, sovereign, generous
———that is the first thing we know and affirm at the break of day.
But then, from these old, hard texts, we notice
———that your holy, sovereign, faithful, generous way with us and
———with our people is in this endless tale of violence…
——————war, plunder, rape, incest, deception, and death.
You stay hidden within that misery,
———at work even against such circumstance.
We notice that our long-term narrative is just like every other tale,
———wreaking with violence, just like every other…
———except for you… holy, sovereign, faithful, generous.
We trust your hidden ways today in our narrative
———and in all the narratives of violence in force today.
Work your good will,
——————give us eyes to note what can be seen of you,
——————give us faith to trust what stays hidden of you,
——————give us nerve to obey you this day,
———even where we do not see.
We praying in the name of Jesus who confounds all our tales of misery.
Amen.

Pick up a copy of Walter Brueggemann’s Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth, from Amazon, here.

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