Reflection by Jeff Koch
Scripture: Wisdom 6:12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
“Let my prayer come into your presence. Incline your ear to my cry for help, O Lord.”
We all want to experience God in some way, to know he is with us and woking in our lives. And the church over the years has given us spiritual disciplines to do to prepare is to experience God at some level. But if we are seeking just an experience we will always be disappointed. As I began my journey into prayer, especially meditation and contemplation, I was told to “not seek experience,” but “to seek God.” And if an experience comes God will bring it and to just rest in my stillness and silence. A great teacher shared a metaphor with me to help. He said, the disciplines, the practices, were not to bring some experience, but to bring me closer to God. He likened it to a child who wanted to go over to the playground, but it was surrounded by a fence. The child should stay by the fence, so when the father would come, she could extend her arms and the father would pick her up and bring her over the fence, to the ground she wanted to go. That helped me so much in distinguishing the concept from seeking experience and seeking God. As I read our Scriptures for this week, I am reminded of this picture.
Our passages today all seem to give us the image of waiting for something, maybe an experience with God. In Wisdom we see a person waiting to find wisdom. In the passage we see Wisdom herself seeking out that person to offer her wisdom. “Wisdom is readily received by those who love her and is found by those who seek her.” I love this verse, “we watch for her at the dawn and we shall find her sitting at our gate . . . she makes her rounds seeking those worthy of her and graciously appears to them in way and meet them with all solicitude.” I admit I had to look up what solicitude means. Of course, as dictionaries do, the first definition given was, “the state of being solicitous.” Wow, that helped? But basically, it is “an attitude expressing excessive attentiveness.” To be looking for wisdom . . . and the promise, she is looking for you also. James says about wisdom, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.” (James 1:5)
God is the one we are to seek; not the experience. As the Psalmist says, because we seek him, we look for him, we gaze toward God in the sanctuary to see his power and glory. It is a truth that “the kindness of God is better than life itself.” He is our help and in the night watches we should meditate on God for he is our help and in the shadow of his wings we can find joy.
Jesus is wisdom! Paul tells the Corinthians and us, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God;” and, “you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30) And to the Colossians he says, “we have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3). So in seeking wisdom, we shall find it, in Jesus and see it as we read the gospels. And we may even get to experience some of the things, those who sought him, experienced.
We all seek Christ for wisdom, and one day, as the virgins were awaiting the bridegroom, some of whom were prepared wisely and some of them were foolishly not fully ready or prepared. They were not being attentive to the condition of their lamps. Then the bridegroom came when they least expected it. We shall all experience the coming of Christ and for sure that will be an experience. But, also as illustrated by the virgins, the timing of this day we do not a know; preparation, attentiveness, readiness, all these words describe what we do while we are waiting for God to work, to show up, to do something; to pick us up and bring us over the fence.
There is another thought that I want to share with you as I return to the opening picture. I love the picture the Psalmist gives us in these words; “Thus I will bless you while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.” Now I know that that is talking about praise of God when he comes and we see his power and glory. But it also works for the picture of us getting close to the fence for God to pick us up. Any child who sees their parent and wants to be picked up, lifts up their hands and calls out to mom or dad to pick them up. So I wait, I look for wisdom. I wait and I look for God’s power and gory. I wait and I look for the coming of Jesus. I want to be ready so when I see him I don’t have to go get ready, get my oil and lamp wicks trimmed, No when I see him, I just simply raise me hands and let him pick me up, let wisdom help me and she brings me to his side of the fence and life and joy and peace. As I seek these things, wisdom, life and joy and peace; JESUS, I try to find myself in a place where they are there; in the sanctuary, at my gate at the start of my day, in meditation, I wait. I lift my hands . . . and He picks me up and brings me to himself! Wow! What an experience!
Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns wth you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. God, for ever and ever. Amen!”