The Sunday congregation in church comprises of praying people, people with troubles and sorrows, people who are sick and needy, people who are wealthy and able, people who are there to meet and greet, men on one side, women on the other, all with their heads bowed in worship, heaving as one, in song and prayer, seeking God’s grace, each believing their need is greater than the other and expecting God’s instant blessing.
Today I saw among them, three people who touched my heart . A young mother with her little son, a child with Down syndrome and demanding. The mother at her wit’s end, seemingly tired , concerned and impatient, all at once, walking out with her hapless child, each time he got boisterous and walking right back in when she managed to calm him . Was she there to pray for her little boy, for his healing, or was she there to pray for sustenance and fortitude, to nurture her handicapped baby ?
A middle aged woman of no conspicuous or noteworthy appearance, except there were ceaseless tears streaming down her cheeks, which she desperately tried to conceal, wiping it off with her white hand kerchief, even before they left her eyes, leaving me wondering, what could be the cause of such abject misery? Was she mourning the death of a loved one or was it sad news she received, of a tragedy that was unbearable? Was she praying for comfort or the reversal of her unfortunate circumstances ?
Then came the third, an elderly woman, who walked up to the altar for Holy Eucharist . Labouring under her heavy weight, her gait painful and ungainly, she reached the altar, and after receiving the Eucharist returned to her seat, slowly. Her hands folded, her head slightly bowed , she stood there with tears trickling down her face, praying,. Was she praying for a transformation, for complete relief, or was she just weeping in gratitude?
My woes were soon forgotten, as I contemplated on the likely sorrows of the many, as we all stood before the Sovereign Lord, heads bowed, hands folded, praying for His favour, some to be rewarded, some to be disappointed, some to lose hope forever. If the angel of the Lord were to come down, as in the story of the Bible, to stir the water in the pool one time, the healing water for just the one who reaches first, who would it be, who would the angel pick, who amongst them is the most deserving ?
Would it be the boy born with disability, not because of his sin or that of his parents, would his mother be freed from a life sentence , would it be the woman crying disconsolately, probably from a grief that is inconsolable, or the other who may be suffering from some unbearable pain. Or maybe someone from the congregation, someone who has no need , no ailment, and bless him further, maybe it would be none or all of them and me,
As we pray incessantly waiting for God to dispense His grace, we wonder when is our time ? But then, who are we to question God’s Sovereignty, who are we to decide who should receive His favour or when? Who are we to doubt His plans for us, He who sacrificed His only begotten Son to save us from destruction ? Why then do we try to understand that which is inconceivable, why don’t we instead surrender to His will, and live with inexplicable trust, in the Keeper of our times?
Mary Jacob 