. . . [I]t is appointed unto men [and women] once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27. KJV.
Montgomery, Alabama, October 4, 2020, 6:00 pm CST.
On Friday last, we all awoke to the news that the President of the United States had announced via Twitter® the news that he and Mrs. Trump had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the official name for the Covid-19 virus. As of this writing, while Mrs. Trump remains in the White House with mild symptoms, the President, a 74 y/o man with several risk factors for the disease, finds himself in The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, colloquially referred to as the Bethesda Naval Hospital. His condition appears to be stable and possibly improving, but details are somewhat obscure. His infection presents writers and readers a cautionary tale.
As one would expect, social media exploded at the news, some writers shocked and wishing the First Family well, others – not so much for such is the divided nature of our Republic, indeed, the whole world.
Citing 1 Timothy 2:2, Christianity Today recorded: “Several pastors and ministry leaders encouraged Americans that this was a time to pray for the president and the country regardless of their political stances.”[1] On Friday morning, I posted the following on Facebook®.
Concerning the news that the President and First Lady are infected with the virus that has scourged the world for 9 months, this is a time for those who consider themselves Christian to put away thoughts and emotions that come from the dark side and to truly pray, in good faith, for the health of our President’s body and soul. The same goes for the First Lady. We are all God’s creatures whether we like each other’s ways or not.
Unusually, there were quite a number of “likes” and a few shares leading me to believe that my post evinced a common sentiment for thoughtful Christians.
Of course, I suspect that there have been many less “thoughtful” posts – even by Christians. Without even reading, one can imagine what might have been said. The “cold open” of Saturday Night Live, on the air truly “live” for the first time in months, alluded to such. The crowd loved it. But, that’s what “the world” does, and, contrary to the popular song title, “We Are [Not] the World.”[2] Thus, the cautionary tale.
In Sunday school today, we were finishing up the Book of James. Of the several points in Chapter 5, of great note, is the fact that James finishes with an admonition to prayer.
As we discussed, a thought re-occurred to me, “Given the current situation, how can one pray for another if one does not honestly wish well for the other person? What does one say when one’s heart tugs to the contrary?”
“Surely not,” a stalwart Believer might inject. “Perish the thought.” Really? No one has asked himself that question in this or another situation? No “stalwart Believer” has wrestled with the conflict of will and Biblical teaching? Give me a break. Hang your nun’s habit, monk’s cassock, or even your “kāṣāya” on the nail by the door. Check your “Sunday School Mind” for cobwebs.
May I submit that the question is not whether we have ever entertained such aberrant thoughts, but what did we do about them. The answer to the second clausal question is complex but reduceable to five possible answers: a. Give over to rank carnality and enjoy the misfortune of others; b. Put self-will aside and pray for a favorable outcome (whether you mean it or not;) c. “Fageddaboutit;” or d. None of the above. Like so much in life, each answer is fraught with risks, rewards – and consequences.
There is, however, a fifth possibility, one of which the Apostle James would approve: e. Ask God for His wisdom in praying about the matter, and don’t pray anything else about until God has answered. Have you ever asked God for wisdom only to find that He did not provide it? I seriously doubt it – not if you were truly paying attention. This option, however, also comes with a caveat, though. Once you have asked for God’s wisdom and waited for His answer, when He speaks, and He will, you’d better pray as He directs.
In my own life, all too many times, I have failed to take prayer seriously. That is a grievous error. Prayer is too great a gift to be wasted or used casually. Irish Gaelic folklore tells of Cóiste Bodhar, the silent “death-coach” that makes an appearance at the time of one’s death. In their mythology, once Cóiste Bodhar has been summoned, it cannot be re-called. Like the words spoken by the tongue about which the Apostle James writes in Chapter 1 that cannot be re-called, such is prayer. It has consequences. Neglected, it reduces the stalwart Believer to a quivering wretch, hiding from the shadows that permeate the world; Misused, prayer trivializes the greatest Christian; But, as James writes in Chapter 5, “. . . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 b. KJV.
The above and foregoing may be true, but how-in is it a “cautionary tale?” It’s not the one you might have thought. As Former Vice-President Biden might say, “Here’s the deal.” Truly, all men and women die, but our prayers live on after us. Consider them carefully. The Jacobite “much” of 5:16b carries consequences in this world – and the next.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
[1] Shellnut, Kate, “Christians Call for Prayer After Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19.” Christianity Today, October 2, 2020.
[2] “We Are the World.” USA for Africa, 1985.
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