More things

Silence. To act the part of the recluse.

I sat in the BJ this afternoon for forty-five minutes, listening to various Dordt faculty and students asking God for help. The Adams teach engineering and education - one of them is also a dean. And a few days ago, they were driving in a winter that has caused many trip cancellations and parents to wring their hands. At one point, I looked around and realized that most of the students attending the prayer meeting were engineering or education students. This meant that I recognized very little of the easily 100+ people gathered in prayer. Last week, I walked through the REC center in the middle of the day and saw many, many faces that I had never seen before - I don't cavort with the athletic type very often, but they still exist at this school. Even at this tiny school. They are alive and well, flourishing in much better shape than I and, probably, most of the people I do see. The people that I didn't know took their turns on the microphone to pray for the recovery of, until yesterday night, two professors that I did not know existed.
It is not legitimate recluse behavior to participate in a community prayer time, even if I did come in late and sit in the back. The silence of closing your eyes with an entire auditorium of people who want to believe that
someone is listening...
that someone has a hand on the individuals affected by that patch of ice on that highway.

Earlier in the day, I asked my communications professor if I could give my argumentative speech on why Christianity is false (because the argumentative speech emphasizes logic, evidence and proof - things that faith parallels but doesn't necessarily transcend, though we would like it to). This paragraph could lead to a billion passionate responses regarding various thoughts of reality and the universe but the point is about helplessness and desperation.

When your professor, colleague or parent is in the hospital from a vicious car accident and there is a question of brain damage, it makes it hard to know what exactly to pray for other than "please spare them Lord." We ask for them to be healed, several people fought through their tears to ask for a miracle.

Maybe it's because I'm a cold person - that, because I don't know the Adams or the man injured in the other vehicle, that I don't really care - that I don't plead for a miracle but I do honestly pray for the Dordt community because I love people who are affected by this event, by the hospitalization of these professors. The question in my mind all through the day, until 1 24 AM is what to pray for.

Logic, reason, evidence and even faith aside, what do we pray for?

In a moment of desperation, God exists. Perhaps he/she thrives in such situations. But when we attempt to verbalize our thoughts to the Almighty when we are terrified of what could happen, what do we do? There is a risk of downplaying the focus of our concern for those involved in the accident, but I think what we do, if we can, is worship. Not because we should, because the Bible tells us, or because it might please the Almighty and a miracle might be produced.

Why then? Why should we worship at a time like this?