Nebraska Synod ELCA

For the king delivers the poor who cry out in distress, the oppressed, and those who have no helper.

The king has compassion on the lowly and poor, and preserves the lives of the needy.

The king redeems their lives from oppression and violence, and precious is their blood in the sight of the king.

— Psalm 72.12-14 —

Beloved siblings in Christ,

Years ago, I went to my spiritual director with a problem. A member of the ministry to which I was called was incredibly challenging to myself and others in the ministry. I was deeply frustrated. I described the situation to my spiritual director and lamented in the way only a long-suffering pastor can lament (yes, you’re meant to hear sarcasm here). Then my spiritual director surprised me by asking, “Have you been praying for this person?”

“Of course I have,” I snapped. My spiritual director sat with that for a moment, then asked a very pointed question: “Have you been praying for this person, or have you been praying about this person? Praying for them means lifting them to God in care and concern; praying  about them means praying that you can put up with them. There’s a big difference. Stop praying about this person and start praying for them. You might be surprised how that changes things.”

My spiritual director, of course, was right. Changing how I prayed also changed how I experienced that relationship. The challenges remained, but I was led through prayer to a deeper sense of concern for the person’s well-being, which created sympathy and understanding I’d not expected to experience. I began to see them and their life more clearly, and recognized that some of the behaviors that were so challenging arose from circumstances that were beyond their control.

In the years that have followed, I’ve tried to remember to pray for people and not about them. I’ve tried to remember that whatever position I’ve been given is a position in which I’m called to serve people, not be served by them. Because I am captive to sin and cannot free myself, I’ve missed this mark along with many others through the years, but I keep working at it.

Psalm 72 was the appointed psalm for Epiphany this year. The psalmist prays for the king to be blessed with long life and power so that those the king serves might find prosperity and flourish. Juxtaposed against this model of servant leadership is Herod the Great, so threatened by the rumor of a ‘king of the Jews’ that he ordered the slaughter of every male child under 2 years of age in Bethlehem. We would be wise to pay attention to the contrast between the two readings. Herod and his successors were not models of the kind of servant leadership envisioned in Psalm 72.

In this Epiphany season, I encourage you to look around for those relationships that are challenging and ask yourself the same question my spiritual director asked me: are you praying for those persons, or are you praying about them? Whatever position or office you occupy is a vocation in which you’re called to serve: consider how you can serve your neighbor, and let that service start in prayer for your neighbor. In this way, you will be serving well.

Yours in Christ’s service,

Bishop Scott Johnson

Questions for Discussion

1. Think of someone who has a lot of responsibility in their life. How could you pray for their well-being? Are there other things you could do to help them?
2. Name a person you believe has embodied servant leadership: seeking to help others prosper through their leadership. What have you learned from that person? How have you put what you’ve learned into practice in your own life?

Prayer

Almighty God, you gave the kingdom of justice and peace to your servant David. Extend to every nation the dominion of our Lord Jesus, David’s son, so that in the light of his reign the poor may receive justice and all people of the earth may dwell in peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

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