#supplication
I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1
With so many instantaneous forms of communication today, our impatience with hearing a reply from others is sometimes laughable. Someone I know sent an e-mail to his wife and then called her by cell phone because he couldn’t wait for a reply!
Sometimes we feel that God has let us down because He does not provide an immediate answer to a prayer. Often our attitude becomes, “Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails!” (Ps. 143:7).
But waiting for the Lord can transform us into a people of growing faith. King David spent many years waiting to be crowned king and fleeing from Saul’s wrath. David wrote, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (Ps. 27:14). And in another psalm he encourages us with these words, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He . . . set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (40:1-2). David grew into “a man after [God’s] own heart” by waiting on the Lord (Acts 13:22; see 1 Sam. 13:14).
When we become frustrated with God’s apparent delay in answering our prayer, it is good to remember that He is interested in developing faith and perseverance in our character (James 1:2-4). Wait on the Lord!
I was going to start this with a convoluted lead in about Cassandra, the murdered, doomed prophet who was abducted from Troy by Agamemnon, using her acceptance of her fate, to be murdered along with that egotistical bastard, by his wife, Clytemnestra, as a metaphor for sacrifice within D/s. The problem was that’s a terrible metaphor.
Sacrifice is rooted in offering, and when you present yourself to me, that’s an offering, right there. An offer to hurt you, draw blood to the surface. An offer to use. Each one a little sacrifice, a part of yourself to lose, for a time, to surrender to me.
But we’re not going to be pleasing any ancient gods. It’s not about the White Bull of Poseidon, or Zeus’ perverted swan that we’re aiming for. Each one is for me, and me alone. Every blow I lay on your flesh, the gasps and cries that spill from your lips, is supplication that I will take and enjoy, leaving you both indebted and absolved. Torn between the two, you’re going to approach catharsis.
And that’s another little bit of classical Greek, between me and you.
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O’ Allah Your force is tremendous
Your place is lofty
Your plan is hidden
Your command is manifest
Your domination is overwhelming
Your power is unhindered
-Dua Kumayl
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The sleep of a fast observer is regarded as worship, his silence is considered as praise, his deeds are accepted, and his supplications are granted.
-Imam al-Sadiq (as)
Wasail al-Shi’a, vol. 7, p-294.
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