In “other” Words: Transparency in the Wilderness

“Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name…“
~ Matt Redman ~
Lyrics from “Blessed be Your Name”

The most happy-go-lucky person has “off” days when he/she feels down, depressed, unhappy, dissatisfied. On those days, faith is not only a literal lifesaver, it is put to the test in profound and sometimes ubiquitous ways. The old cliché “when it rains, it pours” proves true as one disappointment seems to lead to another, the resolution of one challenge leads to the discovery of another issue.

Sometimes it seems like too much. Too overwhelming. Too difficult.

When you feel like that, do you let other people know what you are experiencing? Do you share your feelings? If so, with whom? Family? A close friend or two?

Many of us do not. We keep those feelings hidden, showing the world a happy face, a cheerful demeanor. We think we are keeping a big secret. And we might be … from other people.

But not from the Divine.

The “Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness” utilized by my former church begins:

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hid …

I was reading one of those “how to blog” sites earlier this evening and the author was discussing “transparency.” He suggested that all bloggers have certain features on their blog, including an “About” page in order to increase their “transparency” and, hence, earn more respect from their readers. When I read that article, I was reminded of those words from the Lutheran Book of Worship that I recited virtually every Sunday for many, many years. ((Sometimes I recited them two or three times on any given Sunday morning since I was a church musician leading multiple services.))

Those words teach that we are transparent to the Divine.

“Transparency” is an intriguing concept. The word means “something transparent, especially a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.”

We do not need to verbalize or attempt to give form or context to our thoughts and feelings because “no secrets are hid” from the Divine. Our lives are like a piece of thin gauze through which every detail, nuance, shape is readily visible.

So when we feel beaten down, battered about, weary, despondent or just plain lost, the Divine is already fully informed about our circumstances. No explanation is needed. No words are required.

If, at those times, we can be thankful, grateful and steadfast in our faith, saying “blessed be Your name,” we can be assured that we will triumph. If we can remember that we are not alone, even though we find ourselves wandering from time to time in that metaphorical desert wilderness, we can know what true freedom is because we can rest in the assurance that our faith cannot be destroyed. Yes, it can and will be challenged and tested from time to time, but those are the kinds of moments that we can look back on with relief, confidence and “the peace that passes understanding.”

The introductory paragraph of the “Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness” concludes as follows:

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of our Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Only the Spirit can cleanse the negativity and despair from our hearts, providing the potential for us to perfectly love and magnify our Divine Creator, praising and worshiping with the refrain, “Blessed be Your name.”