Don't Justs Stand There! Pray Something!

Like most people I occasionally have strange dreams that I cannot associate with anything that has been going on in my mind during the day. Today I awoke following one of these dreams and as I sought to understand it it has stimulated prayer.

In the dream I found myself making a pastoral visit to a young man who i found stuck in bed, physically incapacitated (apparently the consequence of a serious injury), and in a room not large enough to swing that proverbial cat. Also with him was a female care worker or therapist of some kind. With me was a young assistant learning to do pastoral visiting.

As we entered this space my associate greeted the young man heartily in an unnaturally loud voice. This immediately provoked a negative response and all his anger and frustration just boiled over. I tried to smooth the situation over by pointing out that often people feel a little insecure and uncertain on such occasions and, without thinking, raise their voices as if this will somehow improve the communication. But of course the man angrily pointed out that he wasn't deaf it was his ***** legs that wouldn't work!

He was so angry and frustrated that my gentle words and proffered hand were totally ignored. As I stood there looking at him, and the embarrassed and helpless look on the face of the care worker, I felt my own sense of helplessness in the situation. My sympathetic words and offered handshake were as equally useless as my associate's nervous greeting that had sparked off this scene.

As the man grew quiet I tried to respond to my new awareness of just how frustrated and angry this young man was by his incapacity. I sensed that boredom was a factor so I inquired whether they had any board games such as monopoly, adding quickly that I was only trying to understand the problem and not just offering stupid suggestions. The care worker assured me that they had plenty of such resources but that was not what was really needed.

It was then that I awoke with my brain still trying to come up with a solution that would ease that anger and frustration. As my consciousness increased I then began to reflect on the dream and to ponder whether there was any wider relevance or meaning to it. What came into my mind next really surprised me, for I found myself suddenly praying for Gordon Brown, our Prime Minister!

Here is a man whose expectations have been frustrated by events largely beyond his control that have incapacitated him. There is no obvious sure solution to his situation, and various financial and fiscal strategies so far suggested and implemented are about as helpful (at least at present) as a game of monopoly would be for the frustrated young man in my dream.

In my dream my reinforced understanding of the frustration and anger resulting from the incident that had rendered the man helpless and hopeless also left me aware that I had nothing that I could offer that was of myself. The only thing that I could do was offer prayers from a heart of faith that believed that God had the wisdom and the power to actually do something helpful.

So it was that I found myself praying for the Prime Minister and his government caught up in a global financial crisis, the impact of which is seriously affecting the lives of millions of people already and shaking whole political and economic systems in the world. I share this experience with anyone who reads this blog who, like me, has a relationship with God and knows the efficacy of prayer. At a time when we have no wisdom or power to change the situation that afflicts the world and incapacitates those in leadership let us use the resources available to us and pray. For the one who could really get us out of the mess is God himself and we really need that help.