I think God prefers that I take the canoe

By Steve Hall

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Hosea 6:1-6
Luke 18:9-14

Solomon’s Temple is magnificent. Non-believers sometimes get confused when they see the relatively small size of the portion that looks like a building. But we Jews do not gather in a building as people of some other religions do. The building portion of our Temple is where the Ark of the Covenant is kept. It is closed even to us except for the infrequent visits of the priests. A courtyard surrounds the Temple building. We worship in the open air, and that courtyard is where sacrifice is offered. Beyond that is a much larger courtyard where thousands can gather.

I love coming to this outer courtyard. Except on feast days, it can be a calming place of prayer. The surrounding porticos provide whatever shelter is needed, and the people who come are seldom in a rush. Some come because this is the throne of God. Some because this is the place of sacrifice. Still others for prayer and a quiet place. Me? Besides coming to pray, I have a long list of reasons for being here. I come because it is a place of beauty and majesty. In the early morning and late afternoon, it can sooth the spirit within. I also come just to watch the people.

Yesterday morning I overheard a Pharisee standing at the wall surrounding the inner courtyard. It was hard not to hear him as his voice was a bit louder than most. “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” As he examined his past, it almost sounded like he “spoke this prayer to himself. . . . “ The god he thought he was couldn’t have been happier, but I had to wonder what God thought. The words of the prophet came to me: “Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.”

A bit later, I saw another man, one I recognized as a local tax collector, and I wondered what he was doing here. As I walked past him, I could see that he studied the ground at his feet and beat his breast. In passing, I heard his softly spoken plea: “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The contrast between the two men stayed with me throughout the day. One looking backward and congratulating himself on his good achievements, the other, knowing his weaknesses and failures, bowing before the author of Good. Their differences brought to mind the different attitudes of men and what we see as we travel along life’s journey. It’s like being in a boat.

Some prefer to sit in life's boat looking backward. They choose a rowboat and sit in the boat facing the stern; it's the only practical way to row. Neither the rapids nor the calm stretches are within their line of vision until after they have passed. Low-hanging branches and protruding rocks cannot be anticipated. A quick glance over the shoulder gives a brief but limited picture of what lies ahead.

I think God would prefer that we travel by canoe. Then, even if we dare not raise our eyes to heaven, we could see the flow of life he created before us.

I remembered that the Psalmist said: “. . . my sin is ever before me. . . . “ (Psalms 51:3) That is true when I sit in life’s boat ever facing the past, for that is where my sin lies. But God sees it differently: “ . . . as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12) Still, we often prefer the stability of the wide bottom boat over the rocking narrowness of the canoe.

Besides being known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, he was also known for his persecution of the early Christian community. But listen to what he says.

“Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him . . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection . . . . Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:8-13)

I think God prefers that I take the canoe. That way, I can better understand when He says

"Go right!" Or "Go left!" Facing backwards I was always questioning: "Whose right?" Or "Whose left?" Mine or yours? What He says along the way would no be so muddled if I were talking to Him face to face. Words are harder to understand when someone is speaking to your back.

Take the canoe.