Daily Prophets
Day 161
“And you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham My friend-You whom I drew from the ends of the earth and called from its far corners, and I said to you:”You are My servant! I chose you, I have not rejected you. Don’t fear because I am your God, I strengthen you and I help you.”(Isaiah 41:8-10)
The prophet is continuing to give strength and hope to the people. He is describing a relationship that, according to God’s message to the prophet, is never broken-no matter that Israel, Jacob, we walk away from God, forsake God, etc-God keeps the relationship alive and waiting for our return.
In the first verse above, we, those who wrestle with God, self and another, are described in 3 different and related ways. We are servants of God. Yet what does this mean? If I am a servant, according the Hebrew word used, I am a worker for God. What a career! Yet, it is not the priest, the rabbi, the shaman, the minister being singled out here, it is all of us-we are all workers for God.
What is the job description, we cry out-how can I take this job without seeing the job description and the rate of pay, benefits, time off, etc? We are chosen to be workers for God, it is not something we apply for, it is not a 40hour/week job-it is our calling, it is our foundational relationship from which everything else in our life grows and builds on. The job description is simple: love mercy, do justly, live in a manner that is compatible with being created in the Image of God, care for the needy and the poor, treat the stranger well, walk in God’s ways. Not easy, very complex, yet a simple job description.
We are chosen to God’s employees and God’s workers because we come from Abraham, God’s friend. To paraphrase Rabbi Heschel, I am never lost, I know where I came from and where I am going; I come from Abraham and I am going to the Sovereignty of God. Immersing ourselves in our careers as servants, workers, chosen ones of God and lineage going back to Abraham will allow us to embrace the job description above with joy, excitement, respect and love. God brings us together from all corners of the world so that we can work together, each doing our own unique task to make the whole work force as productive as possible and bring about a more finished work for the next generation.
It is important for all of us to work together to create, continue this work of art called life, world, we saw the destruction that came about when we fought each other for power, etc- Jerusalem was destroyed and we went into exile. God is calling us back and reminding us again and again that God wants our return, God does not forsake us, God doesn’t reject us, God is with us, God strengthens us and helps us always.
What a wonderful relationship-it is a marriage, God loved Abraham, Sarah, and has kept the promise made with them. We need to look at ourselves and see how we are serving God instead of selfish self, puffed up ego, etc. How are we returning to God daily-cause we will stray, hence Tshuvah? How are we realizing that being chosen doesn’t give us more rights, rather it gives us more responsibilities? How are we doing justly and loving mercy? How are we treating the stranger, the poor and the needy-locking them up, shooing them away from the ‘nicer’ neighborhoods, keeping stronger borders and boundaries?
God gives us the strength, the help to realize we are never alone, we are never devoid of inner strength and character, we are never without a job. God is our employer who puts up with our ‘sick’ days, our ‘vacation years’, etc. In recovery, we are aware of God never forsaking us, rather it is us who forsake God. We are aware that we are “but trusted servants” and we are constantly seeking ways to serve and reviewing our job performance daily. In recovery, we know God chooses us to reach out to another(s) in love, mercy, justice, kindness, truthfulness, compassion, etc. We are grateful beyond words for the life we have now and we continue to rejoice in our ability to fulfill the responsibilities this new way of living allow us.
One of the most horrific crimes I committed in my ‘out there’ days was the way I trashed my father’s and grandfather’s name. Both of them were known for being truthful, just, merciful, kind, giving human beings and I was ‘on vacation’ from being the God worker they both were all their lives. I remember visiting their graves once I was in recovery and the experience of acceptance and forgiveness that overcame me was immense and has empowered me to continue to be a good worker for God. Second Isaiah is speaking to me today about my own job performance, and I realize I may have gotten stuck in an old job description and not realized God changed the job I was needed for, not some earthly employer who thinks they are God. I see that God has never rejected me and, what I experienced as God’s rejection, was, once again, God trying to get my attention. God chose me, God chooses me, God will continue to choose me-and each of us-I just have to be more aware of God changing my job description and know that is always with me/everyone. Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark