Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“There I will meet you, and from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I will deliver to you all my commands for the Israelites.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 13, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
The Ark was basically God’s chair. Okay, maybe that’s sacrilegiously oversimplifying. Maybe think of it this way: God’s people needed a focal point. After all, how do you approach a God who is everywhere all at once throughout time and space? The sheer magnitude of it is mind-boggling. Who needs that kind of distraction when you’re trying to connect with God?
Though I’ve never been diagnosed, I’m pretty sure I have ADHD. One of my favorite moments in the movie Up is when Doug, the dog, is in the middle of talking and suddenly turns and shouts, “Squirrel!” I say that all. the. time. Because it characterizes my train of thought so perfectly. Formal prayer and meditation are practically impossible for me. Any attempts to quiet my mind and focus spectacularly backfire and I’m halfway through the plot of my next novel before I remember that I was supposed to be asking God for guidance about how to approach a difficult situation with an acquaintance. (Are you starting to understand my daily devotions more now?)
I need a focal point. God is too big and my mind too wild for me to connect without help. For me, it is most helpful to connect to God in writing. When I put pen to paper (and I mean literal pen and paper—keyboarding doesn’t work) I am suddenly able to focus, and as the pen moves across the paper, I find clarity begins to form. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit lives in the space between my brain and my pen point. It’s not the Ark of the Covenant. But it works for me.
How do I best connect to God and hear God’s words to me?