AND LO, In the course of his wanderings, Moses said to his servant: I shall not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I have to spend untold years in my quest. Surah 18:60
In the course of our own wanderings, in our quest to live faithful lives, in the midst of our daily living, we often forget God. It’s natural. Yet, we are always invited to return, to be intentional about giving thanks for the blessing of being alive, to be grateful for our friends and family, and to be thankful for all that we are able to do as we love others. In all this, we are remembering God.
And in this remembering, we are not just coming back to God after forgetting, we are coming into the deepening of ourselves to the Divine, day by day, trusting that our simple lives will show forth the glory of God. God who takes the wombs of our sufferings and our struggles to create something, to let us come to something, to let us redeem something. What that something is, we wait.
Moses, one of my favorite prophets in the Qur’an, was never good at waiting. Moses’ life was narrated more than any other prophet in the Qur’an, with 136 references! Throughout the Qur’an, we see that he was confronted with many hardships especially from Pharaoh’s abusive power and his cruel capacity to inflict pain. Moses suffered with his people, and he longed to take care of them, and he often asked for guidance and help along the way. Yet, he wasn’t very patient. He wanted to fix things; he wanted to know the inner workings of God’s ways; he wanted to be efficient and knowledgeable. He wanted to be in charge of his life, to be perfect, and let his inflated ego shape his faith-walk with God. That didn’t go so well. I think many of us can relate.
One day after God spoke to Moses, Moses requested to see Him, so that he may “behold” God, his Sustainer. God responded, “Never canst thou see Me.” But then God gave Moses a hint, almost like a tease. That if he looked to the mountain, he might see God. But then as soon as Moses looked, the mountain crumbled to dust and Moses fell down in a swoon. We learn a lesson along with Moses. We have to trust in that which we cannot see, in that which we will never see. We trust that in our walk with God, God is entrusted within us. Often, believing in the unseen reality of this everlasting relationship is difficult.
Yet, sometimes God gives us signs.
In his quest, Moses comes to the junction of salt water and fresh water, and there he meets a righteous servant of God, al-Khidr, referred as the Green One, who has no name. Like a Sage, he guards the springs of life, he reveals secret mystical knowledge, and he protects and supports those in distress, like a Guardian Angel.
Rather than see al-Khidr presence as a sign of God’s support, as a gift, Moses wants to follow this Sage/Guardian Angel for all the wrong reasons. He hopes a little of the knowledge and power of the Green One will rub off on him and make his role as prophet better, maybe even easier. That doesn’t happen. In fact, it backfires. Moses learns that God wants Moses, with all his struggles and weaknesses, to be himself, to live into his own integrity. To be patient and to wait for God’s guidance.
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When I was reading the Qur’an with my students in our introductory course on Islam, the students enjoyed the stories about Moses’ interactions with al-Khidr, the Green One. One day, a student from Turkey told us that her grandfather, her jiddoo, retold, over and over again, the war story of his escape from sure death, because the Green One arrived, from behind a tree, took his hand, and escorted him from behind enemy lines to safety. After the Green One led him to a place of protection, he left as mysteriously as he had arrived.
“Every time my jiddoo tells the story, and he tells it to me a lot, I always ask him, ‘Who is the Green One?’ And he always responds in Arabic and then translates for me. ‘A servant, on whom was bestowed Mercy, from God’s Mercy, who was taught knowledge from God’s own Presence.’
“And then he told me before I left for boarding school, that when I was lonely or discouraged or afraid, I needed to believe that God’s guidance and support would arrive.
“He said, ‘Al-Khidr is a mysterious presence and will appear to you in many ways. Maybe as a kind teacher, maybe as a good friend, maybe when you finally solve a math problem and you are surprised. Pay attention to the details, don’t take any kindness for granted, and know that God is always with you, even in death.’”
She turned to her classmates, “You know telling you about my jiddoo makes me so happy. I don’t feel so ‘foreign.’ Maybe you all have become like the Green One for me.”
Day 15: Reflection
In your quest to be faithful, how have you recognized help that comes your way? Who are the Green Ones in your life?
