From: Katie Van Zanen
“I am restless in my complaint,” reads the English Standard Version of Psalm 55.
“I will take my stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint,” says Habakkuk.
I experience restlessness in my complaints, too. I look eagerly for answers. If there’s a problem, I want to strategize solutions, brainstorm alternatives, look for new organizational methods to prevent it or action steps to resolve the situation. It’s not always a helpful response. My husband reminded me a few weeks ago that “when I tell you about something difficult, I don’t always want you to fix it. Sometimes, I just want you to listen.”
“Not as the world gives do I give to you,” Jesus tells his disciples. He offers them the Spirit’s guidance, and he offers them peace. Not solutions. Not preventative strategies. Not action steps. Peace.
I am all too unwilling to accept that answer to my prayers.
I am a student and teacher of English at Boston College. I live in Lynn with my husband, Nathan.