Grace and Truth: A word from pastors

For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice and equity—Proverbs 1:2-3

Proverbs provides us with basic instructions for righteous living. They are simple and straight to the point. They help us check ourselves and those around us when we need to make sure our actions are in line with God’s plan for our lives.

There is an old saying, “The devil is in the details.” Basically it refers to the hidden or mysterious processes taking place in a given situation. You will find that there are so many undermining, unspoken and, dare I say, evil intentions that seem to drive our daily planning. My invitation to everyone is to pray, “God is in the detail.”

In order for this to happen we have to be honest about our motives with ourselves and those we are working with. Far too often we are not aware that our hidden, private thoughts are driving our public lives. We go through the motion (most times well intended) only to find out we have some hidden bias that causes us not to see.

In the past months, America has been engulfed in the George Zimmerman trial. Many of us were totally confused about what and how things were playing out right in front of our eyes. It was obvious, right? The person standing his ground was Trayvon Martin. Only to be hoodwinked yet again by our justice system.

For people of color, we knew there would be some new legal maneuvering that would take place; we just weren’t sure what that would be. We were aware that the “devil was in the detail.”

I remember the O.J. Simpson trial and a jury of his peers that found him not guilty. America was shocked and angry: How could the jury let him off? The legal arena realized how unpredictable juries could be. The days of all-white male juries were long gone. Jury selection had become unpredictable. So new tactics were put in motion.

Today those ways play themselves out in twisting and tangling up the laws so that it is hard for the jury to come back with a verdict any different from what the attorney wanted in the first place. It’s no longer about innocence or guilt or who sits on the jury but which judge and attorneys are working on the case. Without an honest judge and a really good attorney, your chances of winning in the courtroom are slim to none. In the courtroom now, the judge and attorneys go behind closed doors and together come up with the instructions for the jury. The smartest, cleverest, wealthiest (based on connections) person in the room will get what he or she wants.

For most people of color and/or any person in poverty, a wealthy lawyer with endless options will never be the person defending them because that person is more than likely too expensive. That attorney can charge an enormous hourly fee because they are the smartest, cleverest and/or wealthiest person in the room.

So how do we get the devil out of the details?

We can no longer simply look at the big picture and assume that everyone sees the same thing. We have to break things down, question our own motives and be honest with everyone about our hopes and dreams for the desired outcome.

If the devil is in the details, and I believe he is, then in every thing we do we must pray God into the details. In order for God to be there we have to seek the purest of thoughts and actions on our part. The goal is to talk openly, checking in often with others and understanding that our personal agenda is not the driving force to create the end results.

The next time you sit in a meeting and the group is deciding what is best for everyone, ask everyone to pause and state what they expect to get out of the meeting. We need serious, deeply considered, honest thoughts in order to create something true. This is one way we can begin to get “God in the details.” I hope that by simply reminding ourselves to consider if “God is in the details,” we will be more aware of when God isn’t and the devil is.

Cyneatha Millsaps is lead pastor of Community Mennonite Church in Markham, Ill.