Today’s scripture: Isaiah 41:1-20 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ernest Disney-Britton):
For the last several years, I have sought to walk in the shoes of my Muslim brothers during their holy month of Ramadan. I schedule the time to pray when they pray five times per day. I fast, as they fast from sunrise to sunset, and it was going well — that is, until Orlando. Why would a Christian fast for Ramadan? I wanted to understand my Muslim brothers better, and I don’t believe you can know a man without knowing his religion. In experiencing Ramadan, I grew to envy Muslims’ internationally coordinated effort to pray and fast at the same time. One voice, one people, all at the same time. It was such an inspiration to me. During Ramadan, I came to love the gentle nudge to stop what I was doing five times a day to sit and talk with God. I prized those prayer times, and I was grateful to Islam for that structure of a day.
However, on the Sunday of the Orlando shooting, that all changed. After Orlando, when I fasted, my admiration became anger. When my prayer times came, I was consumed not by love but by rage. I’ve felt extended despair before. I’ve felt sadness before at other shootings — most notably, the one in Charleston — but what I felt growing now was a rage that demanded some action on my part. My emotions boiled and began taking over my every waking moment, and then crept into my dreams, but I kept praying and fasting. I kept attending every vigil, rally, and service that I could, and then one day during one of my prayers about the rage that would not go away, I felt a quiet voice say, “Stop. I have chosen you.” At that moment, I stopped my fast and began to serve. In Isaiah 41:1-20, God speaks to Jacob and says, “You are My servant. I have chosen you and have not turned away from you” (Verse 9). Because of Ramadan and because of Orlando, I had to respond to a call to action, and I have chosen not to be silent. I have chosen not to hate. Instead, I choose to serve God because he chose me.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.