Day 7 - Tuesday, March 7
The Sacrifice of Trust
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Poetry:
E Tenebris
by Oscar Wilde
Come down, O Christ, and help me! reach thy hand,
For I am drowning in a stormier sea
Than Simon on thy lake of Galilee:
The wine of life is spilt upon the sand,
My heart is as some famine-murdered land,
Whence all good things have perished utterly,
And well I know my soul in Hell must lie
If I this night before God’s throne should stand.
“He sleeps perchance, or rideth to the chase,
Like Baal, when his prophets howled that name
From morn to noon on Carmel’s smitten height.”
Nay, peace, I shall behold before the night,
The feet of brass, the robe more white than flame,
The wounded hands, the weary human face.

ROOTED IN CHRIST
I remember as a child, owning a bright yellow pool float that had little flowers and peace symbols on it. This must have meant that no other patterns were available whenever we bought it since my parents, who had been young adults in the ‘60’s, were not thrilled about some of the various ways in which the symbol had been invested with meaning. It is no surprise that in a culture where emojis have been adopted into the vernacular, that the concept of peace has often become an amorphous, feel-good word capable of being co-opted for anything from political movements to fashion statements. Yet true peace is just the opposite; it is not simply the absence of tumult or the enjoyment of quiet moments, but something that transcends the surface experiences of life - something solid and deep.

Jeremiah describes the man who, like a tree, is rooted in the Lord and flourishes, regardless of external conditions. We have an elm tree in our yard that is currently dropping thousands of little elm seeds, most of which will happily spring up and send down tap roots. If spotted early enough, you can uproot them, but even at a couple of inches tall, they have anchored themselves in the soil.

In Christ, peace becomes incarnate. Arnold Friberg’s, Peace Be Still, captures the moment after Jesus calms the sea. Whether you begin looking at the scene from the right or left, top or bottom, your eye will move towards Christ, who is the painting’s focal point as well as light source. Though Friberg includes evidence of the recently perilous circumstances by showing the capsized sail, the viewer is stopped from visually plunging into the waters along with it because of the upward angle of the oars, the trim of the ship catching the light, and the sweeping gesture of the prow, which all draw the eye back to Jesus. The water illumined by Christ is calm in contrast to the waves in the shadows on the boat’s left side.

In his poem, Oscar Wilde references Jesus on the Lake of Galilee as well as Jesus as described in Revelation. He concludes that peace is found as a suppliant before “The feet of brass, the robe more white than flame, The wounded hands, the weary human face.” I think Friberg’s painting, too, offers a glimpse of Christ as Lord of the Universe as well as Christ the man who, like us experienced weariness, and fell asleep in the boat.

Being rooted in Christ, is an active pursuit with the tangible peace of Christ as its object. This requires the sacrifice of trust. It would be impossible to “be still” and know God’s presence otherwise.

PRAYER

O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things.
Amen.
(St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)

Amy Rigall
Biola Alumna