"He will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart"
(Exodus 28:29)
It's hard isn't it. And at a time like this especially difficult. But maybe there are some things we can do to help ourselves. Rather than suggest strategies that might or might not help you, I'll mention a few things later on where my own thinking has gone on this (thinking does not, alas, mean practice).
But more than practical steps, important as they are, what truths can we focus on to help centre our thinking and ground our hearts?
Exodus 28 is a beautiful chapter, full of detail about the priestly garments that Aaron and his sons were to wear. Sacred garments, bestowing dignity and honour (v.2). Garments woven and adorned with care and delicate attention - the work of skilled hands (v.6). An ephod and a breastpiece, both mounted with precious stones representing the tribes of Israel, and other garments all radiant and holy.
Read it slowly and notice all the details - the colours, the shapes, the names, the descriptors. It's gorgeous. But notice especially what is to happen in verse 13 and verses 29,30:
“Aaron is to bear the names [of the sons of israel] on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD..." (v.13)
"whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continual memorial before the Lord” (v.29)
"...Aaron will always bear the means for making decisions [the Urim and Thummim] for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
This is a precious portrayal of the high priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus. As we wake and we enter a new day, possibly anxious and perplexed, he stands before the Lord with our names on his shoulders and upon his heart, holding our days and destinies in his hands - bearing all our hopes, shaping and forming our hearts, watching over our paths, aligning our times with the gracious purposes of God’s heart which stand for ever (Ps. 33:11). He "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3) is the one who yearns over his people and directs all their ways.
All the way my Saviour leads me:
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well,
All the way my Savior leads me:
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed, immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages -
Jesus led me all the way.
(Frances Jane Van Alstyne)
So, those practical steps I’m trying to take?
- Limit exposure to news first thing in the morning - if I really need to catch up then do so briefly and not in excessive detail.
- Reading helps to slow the mind, to 'cool' it, so most mornings I try to read a few pages just to make the cogs of vigilance turn more slowly. It might be a Christian book or it might not - this year I've read a couple of books by Robert Macfarlane (The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind) that have been wonderfully calming, just because they take my mind to other places.
- Reading poetry can also be helpful - if that sounds a bit too cultured, it's not about getting all arty. Why read a poem, if you don't like them, don't get them? Again, it slows your thinking down by exposing your mind to words, things that will make you ponder - or even move you in wonder.
- Reading the Bible - as you settle down to read the Bible, you may find all those thoughts and anxieties forcing their way in, uninvited, and taking the best seats. Try reading the Bible out loud (this helps with focus in prayer too). Or perhaps listen to someone else reading the Bible to you - for some months a little while ago I struggled to quiet my mind to read the Bible so I let David Suchet read it to me (he was always happy to do so, a charming man).
- Using set prayers, not exclusively but as part of your prayer time. There are some great resources out there and you might find yourself breathing air that is somehow clearer and more rarefied.
- As you read, turn off the notifications on your phone or put it into airplane mode - dire emergencies are very rare and will still get through somehow.
- More broadly, why not limit the inputs you allow into your mental space. Each one takes a toll on your ability to attend to what you're truly wanting to focus on.
