(Inspired, in part, by the first chapter of Archbishop Anthony Bloom’s Beginning to Pray.)
Almighty God, you called out to Adam when he was lost and brought him into your presence. By the judgment of your Word Adam was made present and then cast from your presence.
Moses desired to see a vision of your glory; instead, you showed him your back.
Job asked the never-ending human question–”why”? He was given no answer.
Israel longed for a Messiah with hosts, a king who would crush the nations like pottery. Instead they were given a crucified king, killed by the very foreign powers he was expected to overthrow.
God, spare us from your presence. By the grace of your Spirit overcome within us the presumption that longs for you as you are. We cannot bare you as you are, only the fleeting light of your back or the mediation of flesh in Christ. In your absence, the old Adam dies daily as the new Adam grows. May we look upon your absence with as much pleasure as your presence.
