Brooding

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Sometimes we just brood about things. If you are not understanding what I mean about brooding, it is to “show deep unhappiness of thought” as the dictionary states. Showing deep unhappiness of thought - but how do you show thoughts? To show is visual but thoughts are not seen. To brood is to think deeply about what makes us unhappy. Yikes. I don’t want to do that, especially to the point it would become visual on me. Maybe a grumpy face or dark troubled eyes…all because I am stuck brooding about something I am very unhappy about. We see a lot of that in today's political climate. It’s amazing to me how deeply entwined people get into this issue to the result of showing lots of deep unhappiness of thought!

I began to think about this topic of brooding from a reading in church last Sunday in Luke 12:13. Jesus is speaking to thousands and He was addressing covetousness. Someone in the crowd used this close proximity to Jesus to shout out something that I think the shouter had been brooding about, the portion of the inheritance that was going to his brother and not to him. In Jewish law at that time a firstborn son would get a double portion so apparently this guy was not happy that he was getting less. I think how Jesus answered is so important to note - He said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 

As always, Jesus is after the big picture. Jesus continues, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15). Jesus goes on to tell the story of the rich man whose land had produced a very bountiful crop. The man does not have enough storage room for this abundant crop so he builds a bigger storage building to store it in and he was pleased with that because he was planning to take a vacation with his new excess stored neatly away. But something unforeseen happens - he dies. I guess that’s a vacation of sorts…but the arranging of his life by the rich man did not culminate in the result he wanted. 

Reading this story in Luke 12 I can just picture a guy calling out from the crowd to Jesus about a problem he wants Jesus to solve - and Jesus shuts him down. I wonder how many times when we call out to the Lord in prayer about similar situations when we have decided something happening to us is unfair that Jesus tries to guide us to the big picture and wants to shut down our brooding motivation and get us to see something far greater than the particular issue. As with so many situations in the Gospels I can’t know exactly what the motivation of the speaker is but I am guessing the guy shouting out for help needed an adjustment of his. Here he was with the privilege of communicating with the Savior of the world, not just the King of Israel, and all he could think about was to use this close proximity to lobby Jesus to get his way.

In prayer many times we are bringing our concerns before God that perhaps we have been brooding about. That’s OK because Jesus tells those who are burdened down and weary to come to Him and He will give them rest. (Matthew 11:28-30). I am so very grateful for that. Also in John 6:37,  “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” So the perfection of approach to God is not required, but as a believer who seeks to follow Jesus Christ in their daily lives with their transformation as the goal, there is a requirement. It is to be open to the questions He may be asking you in response to your request and to be willing to address that which needs to be discarded. Jesus is not going to offer short-cuts to us to achieve our answered prayers. He is the truth, the way, and the life (John 14:6) and He will always be after the truth of our motivations.

Jesus teaching His disciples to pray begins with acknowledging who God is (hallowed) and directly after that directs us to seek God’s kingdom on this earth, His will to be done. Prayer is not an exercise in manifesting your own destiny by your words as wrongly taught by some. Nor is it claiming what you want so often and earnestly that God feels obligated to do it. That type of teaching is dangerous. The focus is squarely on the wants of the petitioner not on the purpose of prayer which is communication, true communication, with God. 

And so I end this writing because I could go off on some rabbit trails on this issue of “name and claim” in prayer. I want to stay focused on the temptation we may have to brood over something so intently that we disfigure our countenance, away from joy. Let’s not.

“Be angry, and do not sin;

Ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

Offer right sacrifices,

And put your trust in the LORD.

There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!

You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Psalm 4:4-8