We Can Do All Things through Christ
Joann Condit of Phoenix, AZ, USA
And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. -Acts 4:29-31
There are few things in life that irritate me more than when someone says, “You can’t do that!” I feel morally bound to do it anyway. And really, I can do pretty much whatever I make up my mind to do, because I was conditioned at an early age by my mother. She believed strongly in the power of prayer, and felt that a positive attitude didn’t hurt a whit, either.
Mother always corrected me anytime I showed a reluctance to attempt something new. She would say, “Joann, you can do anything in the world!” And then she would add the caveat, “…except become the father of a large family.” Then she would finish with, “…or a small family, for that matter.” Predictably, I always came in like the proverbial tide with, “Muh-thur!”
I proved her wrong, however. During the long years when my husband Clay was bouncing around the South Pacific as a missionary via copra schooner, and later during his twelve years in the Caribbean, I did serve as a father, as well as a mother, to our brood of three girls. Mom was correct in the letter of that homespun adage, but in the spirit of it, she was off base. I wish she were still around so I could point that out to her. She would have laughed in delight.
Wonderful suggestions of new ways to worship, to meditate, to minister, or to serve sometimes prompt a blank stare and the flat statement, “We can’t do that.” The eager and accepting mood suddenly turns hesitant, and then negative. “We can’t do that.” Nonsense! We have forgotten Christ’s promise to be there with us in every attempt we make to serve. We forget the power of thinking positively. Sometimes we forget to pray for guidance. We have forgotten that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!
Prayer Phrase
Peace, be still (Mark 4:39).
Spiritual Practice
Inner Stillness
In the contemplative tradition, silent prayer is about cultivating a quality of inner stillness. You may visualize the story of Jesus calming the storm as a way of entering into this quality of prayer. Notice how churned up the waters of your soul are currently. As you breathe deeply, imagine a sacred stillness forming within you. What might it look like to engage all your relationships and daily tasks from this place of inner stillness? As you move through your day, notice when you feel stirred up and when you experience inner calm. Take note of patterns and themes. Invite all of your noticing into prayer as you continue to grow deeper in God as the source of your life and action.
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.
