From this morning’s prayer, I read: “The man whose deeds are blameless and whose heart is pure will climb the mountain of the Lord.” (Psalm 24) These are two important aspects to the journey to God. Blameless deeds are those with non-false intentions, or selfish intentions. It is really treating all others fairly, or even mercifully, giving to others before even desiring for myself. A pure heart is one that loves, it doesn’t act our of ill intention or greed, it is a heart that sees the world through the lens of God. It is the only heart I want.
In Tobit 13 I read;
Blessed be God who lives forever,
because his kingdom lasts for all ages.
For he scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
It is easy to imagine this author thinking it is God who scourges, casting down to the nether world, or as I would think of it as a place of suffering. But it is not God who creates suffering, this is a part of our human existence. I am attached to things, I want things to go my way, I need to be in control to be happy, none of which is true. God can use suffering to teach us, and if we are open to what is happening then we can draw close to God. The reading continues; when I turn back to God, God will turn back to me. God never steps away, it is only I who chooses to turn my back on God.
If we are open there are lessons everywhere. This morning I am sitting in a laundry room at a Disney Resort. I am using it as a place of quiet, I can be alone and it is very peaceful because od the early hour. Needing to use the rest room, I stepped outside where there is public restrooms with key locks, so I try to use my room key to enter. But the key did not work and I walked away thinking it was not available. However observing another person, they walk up and pull on the door without using a key letting me discover the door wasn’t locked at all. the key-lock had me assume the room was locked, stopping me from trying to pull on the door and entering.
The way to God is trusting, pull on the door and go in. God doesn’t put up resistance, God does not have barriers to accessing him. If we pull on the doors to God we can enter the heart of God, which is a pure heart and one of good intention. Trusting God, I am able to move toward the kingdom of God, here and now.
I must never forget:
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name. Psalm 33