Where is your brother?

This week I am writing about ways that we can be more aware of God’s presence with us in our daily lives. One of the ways that I have found useful is to let God ask me certain questions when I am in prayer. In the last blog I wrote about letting God ask us “Where are you?” as he asked Adam in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:8-9. God does not ask questions because he lacks information. He asks them because he wants us to think about the answer. In the very next chapter God asks someone else a question (actually he asks a few).

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let's go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don't know,” he replied. “Am I my brother's keeper?”
Genesis 4:8-9

There is a woman who works at the corporate office named Amy. She is the receptionist, so many of you have probably seen her or spoken to her on the phone. I didn’t meet Amy until she came to work in the office but as I was getting to know her it turns out that we had some common friends. She knew my friends Josh and Laura because they were from the same town. Now that the connection has been made every time I see Josh and Laura they ask “How is Amy?” Nothing ground breaking about that. I am sure most people have common friends from different contexts.

“Where is your brother?” God already knows about the murder. He wants Cain to answer. Just like Amy and I have common friends, every person we encounter is a common friend of God. They are dearly loved by God. Whether the people we encounter in our day know it or not, God loves them. Imagine if every time you entered into prayer God asked you questions like; “Hey, talked to your Mom since we last spoke. How is she?” or “At work today you saw Tim? How is he doing?” It would probably make us very aware of how we have treated those we encountered. It would also likely prompt us to pray for those we know who are in bad situations. It would make us look back and ask ourselves; did we build them up or rip them down?

A great way to do this is to do a prayer of reflection. Simply start to think backwards through your day to the last time you prayed. It is easier to do this starting from where you are and thinking backwards rather than starting from when you woke up and going forwards. Pray over your day. Think about the conversations you had, the encounters, the moments you were aware of God’s presence and the moments you wish you had been. Lift up the prayer requests of those you spoke with. Ask for forgiveness for things you shouldn’t have done or said. Let God ask you “Where are you?” and “Where is your brother?”

Reflective prayers take some practice but it is a great habit to get into. When I am in the habit of doing it I find I am much more aware that God is with me throughout the day. Lately I have been letting God ask me where I am and where my brothers and sisters are each time I pray. I find this a good way to try to “pray without ceasing”.

I also find that concentrating on these two questions gets to the heart of the “greatest commandments”.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mathew 22:36-39

Mark Wallace