The Rev. Twila Smith
Grace & Mediator, Allentown
“I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf … so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. The God of peace will be with all of you. Amen.”
– Romans 15:30,32
As some time off approaches, days are reaching capacity with things to do. I’ve been on this road before. I know that most of what needs to get done will get done, some things will be left undone, and that the relationships represented by items on today’s do-list are most important.
My prayers these days are no more tidy than my desk and I trust that God receives each random thread.
On the map of my heart are people I have traveled with, joined around tables, and many who I seldom see. Some are only in memories now. In absence, in prayer, I call them to mind and know we are together in the presence of God. Every prayer seems to mark a point on the map I carry close with me – a map stretching across an ever-growing landscape. However random my prayers, God manages to connect them, helping me find my way back and leading the way to community in every new place I go.
One day soon, the tangled threads of today will lead to reunion, with people who have been in my prayers through a long absence. I’ve traveled this joyous road before. I know to follow the way to the great canopy God has been weaving with all our random prayers. There are things we will need to do in our time together and some will be left undone. I trust that we will spend most of our time under the canopy, where the light of Christ shines through, and be refreshed in one another’s company.