Christ Before Me

In my last blog post, I introduced you to the book Christ My Companion: Meditations on the Prayer of St. Patrick. As a reminder, here is the prayer:

“Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

We looked closely at the phrase "Christ to win me" and were reassured Christ wants us!

Today, I want to reflect on the phrase "Christ before me." I have written before on how Jesus is the Way. When Jesus says, "I am the way," we are assured that Jesus is on the road with us wherever life takes us. At the same time, I admitted that I rely heavily on maps to get me to the right place. While completing an errand recently, I realized how lost I can become without my phone map app. I was driving from my house to the library but the main road through town was closed for pedestrian-only traffic. The town closed the road to encourage patronage of the local shops and restaurants during COVID-19 as people can now more easily spread out beyond the sidewalk. I tried various roads on my own for ten minutes before I gave up; I could not find a viable way across town with lots of one-way streets and road construction. I kept saying in my head, "When are you going to open your phone app?" I finally gave up and did...and of course reached my destination a few minutes later.

That moment reminds me a lot about life right now: we are experiencing lots of obstacles! We are seeing lots of "road closed" signs. I quickly feel agitated when I am lost and that is a familiar feeling these days.

We cannot see family. There is no such thing as a casual dinner out without first checking to make sure you have your mask and hand sanitizer. We cannot worship in our familiar church sanctuaries. One cannot see a sick friend in the hospital. We miss visiting with people in their homes. School buildings are closed. And people in California, just miles down the road from me, are being evacuated from their homes due to fires. 2020 keeps throwing hurdles in our way!

When can we open the map app again and get quickly to our safe and happy destination?

Or perhaps a better question is: When will we trust that Christ is going before us and will lead us safely?

Even with sickness and fires and closed doors and changes in plans, Christ has not forsaken us. Jesus is leading the way. We don't need to trust in our own human desires and frailties, but know that Jesus is our map. We can wander and drift, but we will not reach our destination alone. Only by acknowledging that Christ is going before us, will we reach our soft landing place.

May you release the desire to fix everything today. Trust in Christ who will continue to lead us through these trials safely.

God's promise for you today:

"It is the Lord who goes before you. God will be with you; God will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8 NRSV)

Let us confidently follow Jesus who goes before us.

Amen.

Photo by Daniel Gonzalez on Unsplash