How often have you, or a loved one, experienced a shipwreck; once, twice, dozens of times? The Good News of Jesus is that if we turn our lives over to him, we can receive the unconditional mercy of God in the midst of any tragedy. Pope Francis has proclaimed a worldwide “Year of Mercy” for 2015-2016. “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him.” (The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 1)
St. Gregory the Great (540–604) prayed, “In the shipwreck of this present life, sustain me by the plank of prayer, lest I sink by my own weight. Instead, let the hand of your mercy raise me up.” We watched one of life’s shipwrecks at the end of our daughter Rose’s first semester in college. A letter followed her home stating that her decision to skip a lengthy final paper would mean a failing grade and the loss of a substantial scholarship. She would have to leave school. All three of us were in shock. No one had to remind us to pray, but how? All of our raw feelings tumbled out at the feet of Jesus.
We disciplined ourselves by giving Rose back to God in prayer, surrendering her college career and her future. That gave us enough peace to speak with her about her options. Then Rose called the head of her theatre and costuming department for his advice. More prayer followed while she was on the phone. After listening, Dr. Morton decided to help her by restructuring her credits. He gave her credits for extra work that she had done in the studio and reclassified the course in question. All was forgiven. God had truly raised her up, given her back her scholarships, and honored the small part our surrender prayers had played.
Prayers of petition are meant to be a first small step in pursuing God’s presence amidst difficulties. Too often we get stuck when something bad happens and rush to conclude that God didn’t listen. Instead, we must imitate Jesus: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God . . . emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Philippians 2:5-7). Simply lay all of your needs before God; then empty yourself of expectations and demands. It is in surrendering all things to the mercy of God that we are truly able to grow in prayer and in love for others.
(Adapted from Mending Broken Relationships, Building Strong Ones: Eight Ways to Love as Jesus Loves Us, p. 20-21, available on amazon