Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has died. There will be a ten-day period of mourning, the center of which will be her funeral. There is a question which hangs over the United Kingdom and the nations of the world. Given the 70-year reign of the Queen, what will the United Kingdom become and how will it relate to other nations?
The passing of the Queen and its influence brings to our minds and hearts the demise of influential family members from 2020 to the present. The absence of grandparents, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles confronts us with the empty spaces in our close and extended families. Like the Queen, they were always there. They were the keepers of wisdom. If we were not too busy to listen, family stories, histories were repeatedly shared with us. Mementos are stored in boxes, bags, and photos on walls relate lives of ancestors only a generation or two removed from today. These keepsakes tell some of our family stories and the history of our country. In our immediate and extended families, there is a question, also. What will we, as family, become in a world that is drastically different from our forebears?
Prayer, in the 21st century, might be a formidable guide. Before you dismiss prayer, consider a story. The beloved teacher had been recently executed on false charges by key leadership in their religious setting. His followers had been a terror-stricken group of people until the leader returned to them in person. He reiterated the core values that he had taught them and instructed them to remain together in the holy city to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then he left them for when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they would be empowered disseminators of values that would bless all nations and peoples. They followed his last instruction and gathered in communal prayer. Their prayers were fervent and continual. They prayed through their fears and their egos. They prayed recalling all that had been taught to them over the previous three years. They strove in prayer to commune with divine intelligence, understanding and wisdom. When the connection with the Holy Spirit was made, they found themselves capable of speaking to people in their own languages, and lives were changed. They were able to address the core concerns of the people whom they encountered.Ā [Note: Acts 1 &2, Holy Bible]
There were 120 men and women in prayer in that room. Through prayer, they were transformed and became capable of profoundly interfacing with people throughout the world. Amazing grace garnered by a few gathered in fervent prayer can illuminate the next steps for an extended family or a nation that has lost a celebrated leader.
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D. Min, ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
CEO & President