| 12.14.2005 |
| Prayer Defined |
Prayer. That one word brings an onslaught of different reactions. Fear. Thankfulness. Hope. Ritual. Comfort. etc...etc...etc. I quess it just depends on your approach to it. Some see it as nothing more than a ritual before dinner or a quick plea while rushing through traffic, but prayer is possibly one of the most misunderstood and underused gifts that God has given us.
Myself, well, I of course fall wayyyyy short of perfecting my prayer life. So why am I blogging on prayer. Well, today one of my buds emailed me with a prayer request. So I stopped what I was doing and prayed. That's what you do...right? I prayed and then went on with my work. I started thinking. Did I just Stop. Pray. Then star again. ?? I remembered an artical in Relevant Magazine about prayer that I really liked. I always thought that I should pray more. But what if I was already praying...why do I need to -STOP- and pray. Shouldn't it be more fluid. I mean I think about God alot. I don't pray as regularly as I ought to, but seriously I do think about God throughout my day. Nothing specific...just pondering. Anyway. I remembered the artical and basically I realized that prayer is constant or it can be. Not in the head bowed - eyes closed way....that wouldn't work. How would I drive home? It made me rethink the whole mechanics of prayer, yes I said mechanics. That's what it felt like at times. "Ok, I need to put my self in neutral and pray. Done. Ok put yourself in drive again." That's not what prayer is. At least not to me. I really like this artical...so I'm posting it for your reading pleasure. Maybe it'll help you rethink prayer.
This is from Issue 17 Nov/Dec 2005 of Relevant Magazine.
PRAYER REDIFINED (SORT OF) by: Kyle Lake
If we are going to push toward a real, whole-life, interactive relationship with God, we must be willing to cut ties with misunderstandings-perhaps misunderstandings we picked up along the way or even misunderstandings we were explicitly taught. Luis of Granada, a 16th-century Christian spiritual writer, simply defined prayer as "any raising of the heart to God." Tony Jones, author of 'Pray' (Th1nk Books), defines it as...
At school, before you eat, while you drive, in the locker room, at home, eyes open, eyes shut, before an exam, throught the woods, feeding the dog, on the deck, walking to class, in the morning, before you sleep, wondering about the world, after the fight, looking for an answer, because you care, because you don't care, flying across the ocean, on your knees, to erase or to remember, when you're happy, when you're scared, when no one else hears, using ancient ideas or new ones, singing or screaming, writing a letter, in a journal, at the interview, with or without something to say, to get real, on the date, sacred or irreverent, help! help! help! loud or soft, at work, floating or sinking, after you fail, after you succeed, hands folded or raised to the sky, with a friend, with your dad, for your friends, for your family, during the game, at the meet, to find Jesus, on the mountaintop, in the valley, when you feel alive, when you feel half-dead, under attack, or to attack, to reorganize, at the concert, for composure, to praise, to worship, to just listen, wherever, whenever, however...
That's prayer. Redefined. Or, to be precise, historically defined. And my quess is that it's already been going on in your life. It's just that no one has ever said anything about it being legit, about it counting. So may I be the first to come along and tell you that the persistent, silent awareness of God that threads through you day, even in the most mundane times-on a bike, in a journal, after the movie, in the car-they all count. Not only do they count, but that fluid, seamless life with God you exhibit has actually been God's hope all along. |
posted by G. @ 8:52 PM   |
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| 1 Comments: |
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Thanks for that post Paul!! I guess that is something that I've always wondered!! "Is God convinced that THAT was actually a prayer??" But I've always figured that if I have God in the right place in my heart he will hear all of my prayers, and all of my thoughts no matter when where or how!! I talk to God throughout the day!! (sometimes at really silly times) But it's good to know that I can pray anytime, not just before meals or at bedtime! Thanks alot, that was very interesting!!:)
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Thanks for that post Paul!! I guess that is something that I've always wondered!! "Is God convinced that THAT was actually a prayer??" But I've always figured that if I have God in the right place in my heart he will hear all of my prayers, and all of my thoughts no matter when where or how!! I talk to God throughout the day!! (sometimes at really silly times) But it's good to know that I can pray anytime, not just before meals or at bedtime! Thanks alot, that was very interesting!!:)