He's probably one state over watching wildfires burn
through entire mountains while roasting marshmallows
or perhaps he's walking around wondering where he
misplaced the fire extinguisher, frantically shuffling
through closets and kitchen cabinets. Can't blame him.
Prayer, after all, is akin to late-night emergency rooms.
The sickest of the group gets first priority.
I schedule time with him in the mornings, five minutes
before work begins. But now there is no more work.
My days are free, but he has better things to do.
There are car crashes to prevent. Shark attacks
to stop. A lightning bolt in Texas he nudges away
from a house to an empty field. No need for any
such action here. The sky is clear.
Maybe the Almighty has his feet up napping away
in a hammock. A nice respite after saving the Pope
from imminent death. Who doesn't love a snooze
in the afternoon? And he's extra busy tonight,
listening to pre-meal prayers at supper and
bedtime prayers soon after. Then there's the
basketball locker rooms, players huddled in unison:
Our Father who art in Heaven...
I think I can still go back to previous prayers and
change my request, stop asking for so much.
Click a few buttons on the browser. Downgrade
from "Premium" to "Barely Getting By". I promise
I'm not trying to be a burden here. There are great
evils in the world. Men hitting women. Nations
bombing nations. Teenage runaways turned
into teenage sex slaves. Demons of addiction.
Then I hear about a 10-year-old taking their own life
and think that God has maybe just taken a sabbatical.
After pandemics and elections even the Prince Of
Peace needs a little downtime. Saving the world from
itself is hard work. And I can't grasp what it's like
to see the people you love do such awful things and
what it's like to see people you love go through
such awful things, so I'll do this.
I'll cancel my request.
I'll delete these months of prayers for a stable job
and clear direction in life and financial security for
my family and a little bit of cash to pay the stack
of bills that come month after month after month
and simply ask that maybe, just maybe the next time
I have five minutes free that you, God, don't
give me any money. Don't bless me with a job.
Maybe you could just come and sit with me for a bit.