Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

 Lectionary: 295

Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”

We can only imagine the joy Saint Paul felt in hearing these words from the Lord as he settled in Corinth. His eager preaching of the Gospel to Jews and gentiles had met serious opposition and he probably wondered if he might be doing more harm than good. As we heard yesterday, in great exasperation he had sworn at the Jewish opposition:

Your blood be on your heads!

I am clear of responsibility.

Perhaps the hour had not yet come for Corinth, that wild city of sailors, escaped slaves, traders, and trollops. Or perhaps he was not the right man for that city. A man of his intense seriousness, deep learning, and sophistication might never belong in a port city. 

But the vision of the Lord assured Paul that he was "doing just fine, and keep up the good work."  And besides, "...I have many people in this city."

It might take a while but Paul would find his people and his intense love for the city. His two letters "to the Corinthians" in the New Testament represent at least three different letters, and his understanding of their character. He looked forward to that day when he might boast of his people in Corinth even as they boast of the great apostle who came to them. 

Saint Luke's Acts of the Apostles often speaks of the Christians' constant prayers. They went nowhere and did nothing without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Despite their incessant travel with all its hardships, confusion, and displacement they never stopped praying.  Apostolic zeal was no excuse for missing prayer. They brought their grief for the friends they'd recently left  to the Lord, as well as their anxieties over this latest relocation. Always they found their home in the heart of Jesus.

The scriptures teach us to bring our daily anxieties to prayer and to expect both relief and direction. Unlike Claudius who complained, 

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; 

Words without thoughts never to heaven go. (Hamlet, Act 3, scene 3)

We can and must turn to the Lord daily, even as we shut out an army of perpetual distractions. We pray expecting both guidance and assurance. Employers, children, spouses, and pets may learn they're not so important as the Lord. Phone calls can be recorded; emails delayed, tweets and twits can be ignored. Anxiety can wait its turn. Confusion can be resolved as many decisions cannot be made today.  

We find our worth and meaning, our place and purpose in the Lord; and not in the demands of others. "Do not be afraid," the Lord said to Paul, "...for I am with you."