God.

Help.

We are anxiously waiting, worriedly ready.

We are increasingly dreading an illness we don’t understand. Someone understands. Everyone understands.

What we would love, sort of, is for you to make it disappear.

Though we fear who would get credit, who would take credit.

What we would love, sort of, is for someone to know, for sure, something.

And describe what they know in ways that command respect, that demand compliance, that invite conformity.

But we do not know who to trust.

We are like Samuel, late in his life.

Samuel was afraid of Saul, the village leaders were afraid of Samuel, Samuel was captivated by the most likely.

Without you, Samuel was unable to see the right step, the bright hope, the chosen one.

Until David as in front of him and you said, “That one.”

God, we are afraid of many. We are captivated by obvious.

We are willing to stop when you say “go”, to say “of course” when you say, “not yet”, to say, “are you sure” when you say “that one.”

We are unwilling to be willing. We are uncertain to be certain. We are untrusting to trust.

But we want to be certain, to be willing, to trust you.

So I ask you today, for us all, to touch our eyes, to anoint our heads, to help us see your light.

Even in the confusion and dread.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Reflecting on 1 Samuel 16:1-13