Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

[Adapted from “A Trick of Light” by Tony Chvala-Smith, Jan/Feb 2025 Herald, pp. 8–9]

There was a monk of the Egyptian desert named Abba Isaiah. That other monks addressed him with the honorific title “abba” meant he was a reliable guide in things of the Spirit. He once invited a younger brother to his hut to teach him a lesson about the spiritual journey.

Having washed his guest’s feet, Abba Isaiah put some lentils in a pot to cook for their meal. The lentils had just boiled when Isaiah brought the pot to his guest and served them. The younger monk said, “They aren’t cooked yet, Abba.” But Isaiah replied, “Is it not enough simply to have seen the fire?” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection).

The Abba is not being obscure, but metaphorical. If we probe our experience, we’ll likely get his point. Somewhere, somehow, we, too, have “seen the fire.” It’s what holds us to this hard, unpredictable, unfinished pilgrimage called faith. Amid our disappointments, failures, bungling attempts to serve, and regular misunderstanding of the good news, we have glimpsed that our truest freedom lies in surrendering to this tremendous mystery, this numinous “flame,” which our hearts recognize and cannot revisit enough.

It's no secret that church folk everywhere struggle to navigate our time’s complex social, moral, and global intersections. There aren’t simple formulas for doing that. But what if one way into our unmapped future is as old as a monk’s ancient desert wisdom?

“Remember what got you on this journey!” Isaiah would tell us. “Even if only once, long ago, you ‘saw that fire,’ it’s quite enough to have glimpsed it.” Keep refocusing on the numinous presence of the One whom the psalmist declares, “is wrapped in light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2 NRSVue).

Prayer Phrase

“Do not be afraid, for I am your God…” (Isaiah 41:10).

Voices of God

What is the voice of God saying to us? Do we hear the whispers of God’s longing for shalom; God’s dream of beauty and wholeness for all creation? Do we hear the “voice” of God calling to us in faces and eyes, in the sounds of suffering and joy, in scripture and sacred word, in tears and laughter, in silence and noise? Spend a few moments reflecting on when and how God’s voice speaks to you. When did you first feel called to join God in the pursuit of peace and justice? How does the call of shalom continue to come to you through the many “voices” of God?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.