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Psalm 34:1-8 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; 2 I will glory in the Lord; 3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me 5 Look upon him and be radiant, 6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me 7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; |
Alexei Navalny’s Diary
As I read the psalms, I’m not only impressed with how their meaning transcends the centuries. I’m also impressed with how many of the psalms describe people of faith living in crisis, besieged by all kinds of opposing forces. They are not just living. They seem to be thriving.
We get glimpses of that in the psalm heard in church yesterday, printed above. The psalmist speaks of terrors (v.4), of affliction and troubles (v.6). Yet that same author can say taste and see that the Lord is good. (v.8) How is it that people in these situations can affirm God’s goodness and embrace a word of hope? I want to know what they know.
I think of the apostle Paul who wrote a letter to the Philippian church from a first century prison cell. Let your cinematic imagination run wild in thinking about what that prison block looked like, felt like, smelled like. Yet in that letter, the apostle issues a call to rejoice again and again, affirming that he can do all things through the one who strengthens him, claiming that his sole purpose is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.
More recently, I have in mind the piece I read in the New Yorker last week, excerpts from Alexei Navalny’s prison diary. Woven throughout his reflections there is a spirit of humor and well being, dare I say joy.
In one entry, he responds to questions of how he keeps going, how he avoids hatred and despair. He offers two techniques. The first has to do with wrapping his mind around the worst thing that could happen and figuring that was survivable.
It was the second technique that caught my eye, tugged at my heart, stirred my soul. He said the technique he has in mind is so old “you may roll your eyes heavenward when you hear it. It is religion. It is doable only for believers but does not demand zealous fervent prayer by the prison barracks window three times a day (a very common phenomenon in prisons.)”
He said that “being a believer makes it easier to live your life, and to an even greater extent engage in opposition politics. Faith makes life simpler.” The technique he suggests: “You lie in your bunk looking up at the one above and ask yourself whether you are a Christian in your heart of hearts. It is not essential for you to believe some old guys in the desert once lived to 800 years old, or that the sea was literally parted in front of someone. But are you a disciple of the religion whose founder sacrificed himself for others, paying the price for their sins? Do you believe in the immortality of the soul and the rest of that cool stuff? If you honestly answer yes, what is there left for you to worry about? Why, under your breath would you mumble a hundred times something you read from a hefty tome you keep in your bedside table? Don’t worry about the morrow because the morrow is perfectly capable of taking care of itself.”
He concludes this entry by saying; “My job is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and leave it to good old Jesus and the rest of his family to deal with everything else. They won’t let me down and will sort out all my headaches. As they say in prison here: they will take my punches for me.”
As I fret about my worries, with a special brand of angst about next week’s election, I think the Holy Spirit sent me this testimony from a remarkable saint. For this edition of Monday Matters, Mr. Navalny has provided most of the content. I hope it stirs your soul as it did mine. I add his voice to the witnesses of folks I’ve met along the way who teach me about coping with affliction and loss, who keep hope alive in those situations. I hope you have run across folks like that. They do the soul good.
May you and I be given the grace this week, in whatever adversity we face, to seek first the Kingdom of God and to leave it to good old Jesus and the rest of his family to deal with everything else.
Rest in peace, Mr. Navalny. May light perpetual shine upon you. Thank you. Thanks be to God.
-Jay Sidebotham
Footnote: If you’re feeling anxious about the upcoming election, I recommend meditation on Psalm 37:1-18.
