Open Heart

I'm currently reading a book by Kenneth E. Bailey entitled Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Dr. Bailey spent over 40 years living and teaching in the Middle East. He is Christian and his specialities include culture and language, including Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic.

In Chapter 7, The Lord's Prayer: God our Father, Dr. Bailey tells a story that happened to him while giving a lecture in Riga for the Latvian Lutheran Church. His students were of the age that they would have been educated within the state communistic system. Curious about how they came to faith, he asked a young woman about her journey. She never went to church (they were outlawed), her family were atheists and she was not aware of an underground church in her area. 

The young woman explained: “At funerals, we were allowed to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As a young child I heard those strange words and had no idea who we were talking to, what the words meant, where they came from or why we were reciting them. When freedom came at last, I had the opportunity to search for their meaning. When you are in total darkness, the tiniest point of light is very bright. For me the Lord’s Prayer was that point of light. By the time I found it’s meaning I was a Christian.”

I loved this story. I love how the Holy Spirit took advantage of a young woman's curiosity and turned it into faith. No human-constructed formulaic prayer needed. Just an open heart.  

This Lent, may I have an open heart that the Holy Spirit can take advantage of.