Lord, Please Save Us!
What Can God Do Through Me?
by Eric Elkin
“Lord, please save us!
Lord, please let us succeed!”
Drowning is a silent event. In the movies, people who drown yell for help. They splash in the water and make a big scene. But this is not how it really works. In the real world, no one yells. No one splashes. Consumed with fear, victims quietly disappear in the water. Their descent rarely causes even a ripple in the water.
When the public attempts to make sense of a drowning, they cannot understand why no one responded to the incident. Yet, any lifeguard will tell you, they never heard the cry. They didn’t hear it because it never was spoken. My wife spent her high school and college years working as a lifeguard. Watching people play in water still gets her tense.
Childhood trauma is another silent event. Children who suffer abuse and neglect rarely speak. Fear is not necessarily the cause of their paralysis. They assume responsibility for the actions of the adults in their life.
It takes time to get children to speak. A child will only talk to a person they trust. Trust demands time, empathy, and sensitivity. People who are trained to work with children, trauma or no trauma, learn silence. These professionals understand they are the ones who need to be silent. Only then can you hear the pleas of the suffering.
“I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”
All the readings for Palm Sunday take me to the darkest parts of my current condition. The rhythm of events leading up to Holy Week is supposed to do this to us. We go into the darkness to discover light, life, and love. Unfortunately, we are invited to take a journey through the worst part of humanity.
The psalmist teaches us one key thing in Psalm 118. We are not to be silent. We are to call out, “Lord, please save us!” As I read that this morning, I started thinking of everything I want to be saved from. Top on my list is hate. I want an end to verbal, emotional, and physical expressions of hatred. Please save us from the voices who teach us to hate.
Lord, please save us from gun violence, chemical warfare, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. While you are at it, save us from hunger, poverty, homelessness, and inequality. My list is long, but I still cut it short. I felt like I gave you plenty to work on for now.
Still, there remains a lingering problem within me. I will not be silent, but will you listen? How loud does my voice need to be for you to hear me? Help me to understand your silence is not indifference but empathy and compassion.
As I was listing off my grievances, my mind turned from darkness into light. Words from my baptism started filling my head. God promised to save me and showed me how. But, I also promised to help in the process. I promised to “accept the freedom and power God gives me to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”
When I look at the problems of this world, maybe I should stop speaking and listen. Silence will quiet my demands of God and help me hear what God can do through me. Funny, this observation reminds me of a valuable lesson I’ve learned working with people. Those who listen are most often the ones who are heard.
Click to read Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29
Reflection Questions:
When was a time you remained silent, but should have spoken up?
When was a time you talked but should have remained silent?
What is the best way to be heard?
How can you grow in your ability to hear God?
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