God's Providence

“The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.” From Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Many of you know I’ve been part of a religious community, Green Bough House of Prayer, for almost 30 years. Green Bough is one of the most important constants in my life through all kinds of changes, personally and vocationally. It has deeply formed who I am as a person. Our rule of life is a steady compass as I try to discern who God is in my life.

Several years ago, I joined their board, and thus I am even more familiar with their charism of trusting in the providence of God. This group does not operate like any other nonprofit you’d imagine. While I can’t see the community of St. Mark’s fully embracing their ways, it is inspirational and challenging to see how they embody a trust in God’s providence. They enact it in small and large ways as the residents in the community take on the classic monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

They have never advertised the retreat ministry. They do not have a website. They do not specifically ask for donations. The nightly retreat fee is modest, to say the least, so it remains accessible. They trust that the people who need to find them will find them and that the financial and physical resources will not only be present but abundant. They were deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene, and yet the generosity they experienced from so many afterward left them in a strong position to meet the changes and challenges of the future.

When I read this passage from Luke for this coming Sunday, this invitation to go forth into the work without any resources—but to fully trust that what you need will be provided—seems impractical. And yet, I see it happening in that one small community over and over again. And perhaps more importantly, I see it in small ways in my own life. When I focus on what I don’t have, all I can see is scarcity. I begin feeling anxious, and it seems as if it’s all up to me. When I trust in the abundance of God, I find I have enough. This is not just in the physical and financial needs of my life, but in relationships and other needs that may be present as well.

What small ways might you invite a deeper sense of trusting God’s provision? How might you go into the world with an open heart, accepting all the gifts that are there for you when you cease assuming that you need to oversee generating it?

Peace, Beth +