Thirsty in the slums

A reflection on prayer (first written for our church newsletter);

It’s mid-afternoon on another day of seeking to live alongside, learn from, and love our neighbours in a Kolkata slum. At thirty-six degrees and high humidity my clothes are moist and the sweat once again runs down my face. I reach for a drink of warm but still vitally refreshing water. Before putting it to my lips I pause to reflect on the last few hours. Several things flood to mind; my inadequacies communicating in the language, confusion around difficult cultural situations, my lack of physical strength due to the heat, and my struggle to show love and patience to one of the neighbourhood kids. I am reminded of my need for a wisdom, strength and love greater than I find within me.

Inspired by Jesus’ words in John 7:37-38, I pray, “Lord Jesus, I come to you to drink”. Having spent a moment bringing some of my needs to Christ, I spend a moment contemplating him and my thirst for his life to permeate my being. I take a drink and allow the water to refresh my body as his Spirit refreshes my soul. Looking forward to the interactions that will come in the evening ahead, I commit them to him, that through him within me I might be a loving presence to my neighbours. Praying finally, “May rivers of living water flow from within me.”

This little ritual is one expression of a kind of prayer that we have found connecting us deeply with Christ. Spending time in silence, contemplating Jesus, has helped us to soak in his love for us and the people around us. Often this has been through meditation on him through a passage of scripture. Other times we have sought to put our Bibles down, along with our own words, thoughts and petitions, and simply be in his presence, receiving the grace he has for us in that moment. And then there have been times when through an unexpected encounter with a child in the slums, or a beggar on the railway platform we have seen glimpses of the suffering and beauty of Christ.

As Henri Nouwen has written, “In prayer we meet Christ, and in him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the suffering Christ.”