Witness from Prison:  Thank God!

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord. 

Consider Paul's words to the Philippians: "have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God." How often are the prayers we pray focused on achieving certain goals or pursuing some specific end result? Alternatively, how often do we pray in thanks? Are not our whole lives in God's hands? If we believe that yes, our lives are in God’s hands, then God knows all about the sharp curves and slopes and bumps in each person's life road. God knows when each person will walk proudly, where she will stumble, and where he will crawl.

Still, God already has a finish line in mind for us. It is a place where we will become one with God, all that was dark will be illuminated, and we will share in omnipotent love and understanding for all creation. Isaiah said that we will draw water from the fount of salvation, and we will do it with abounding joy, and give thanks to the Lord. All of our faith points to an opportunity of infinite confidence. We can give ourselves up to an earthly life of preparation. Gifts from God include moments of comfort and agony, serenity and challenge. Through our moments of trial, grace is refined.

Therefore, let every prayer be one of thanks. Thank God for the challenge of learning to think, feel, and breathe as divine consciousness. Says the Lord, "I will save the lame, and assemble the outcasts; I will give them praise and renown in all the earth, when I bring about their restoration. At that time I will bring you home, and at that time I will gather you." (Zephaniah 3: 19-20)

God specifically mentions the lame and the outcasts. In a holistic sense, it is likely that everyone has a situation in which they were lame or outcast. By definition, a lame or outcast person has some substantial obstacles to face on their life's road. But some would opine that they are on the "fast track" to grace. Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said that the last would be first and the first would be last. The "least" according to worldly social hierarchies will become the first to be welcomed into celestial community.

In our lives, it is important to recognize times when we experience privilege. It is in these times we must act in solidarity with the unprivileged by sharing in the experience of non-privilege. Until we do this, the life journey may be on pause because we are hesitating at the edge of a pothole.

Reflection: In this Advent season, how can I move in the direction of always giving thanks to God?