Thoughts on prayer
I'm interested in other people's experiences and thoughts about prayer, but I don't know if many other people still visit here.
As I have journeyed with God, prayer has seemed more and more central to everything else. I struggle for words to describe what goes on. At its heart I see prayer as relationship with God. A relationship where I am given to God (however fallibly) and God is given to us (which we know in Jesus Christ). So the heart of prayer seems to me about givenness. And trust. I think over time, we may come to trust, whatever the troubles in our lives, that God remains faithful to us, given, and deeply caring.
In addition, I think the surrender that happens in giving yourself to God, involves accepting one's own weakness, frailty, and dependence. None of us can raise ourselves from the dead and we are all mortal. Before God, we come (and give ourselves) in that weakness and dependence. Because, if you are like me, you mess up many times, frankly we come before God in rags. But what matters is we come to God ("Come unto Me") and open our hearts to the love of God, and open ourselves to love God back. That's not always easy at all, because of hurt and regrets and maybe guilt.
But I think, over time, trust can build between God and us. Over time, we may come to experience the grace of God, and know times together where we find quiet spirit to be still, to be quiet, to gaze, to trust, to love.
To me, that kind of givenness in love is at the heart of prayer (essentially and primarily God's love for us, and givenness to us). But it doesn't end there. What I find is that once there is trust and openness, we also open ourselves to the flow of God's love, and the power of God's love, to pray for other people and to live out that love and compassion towards other people.
In other words, God's givenness to us, is not simply for us. It is so we can open up to everything it means to be given to God, open up to that flow of love and God's Spirit... and so our prayer life can maybe infect all the rest of our lives with more love and more grace (albeit we will always be frail, weak and fallible).
So to me (and don't get me wrong, my prayer life is quite often poor) God longs for us to come in prayer, both to share love with us, but also to open us to intercession for others.
I'm interested in other aspects of prayer any of you feel you would like to share.
As I have journeyed with God, prayer has seemed more and more central to everything else. I struggle for words to describe what goes on. At its heart I see prayer as relationship with God. A relationship where I am given to God (however fallibly) and God is given to us (which we know in Jesus Christ). So the heart of prayer seems to me about givenness. And trust. I think over time, we may come to trust, whatever the troubles in our lives, that God remains faithful to us, given, and deeply caring.
In addition, I think the surrender that happens in giving yourself to God, involves accepting one's own weakness, frailty, and dependence. None of us can raise ourselves from the dead and we are all mortal. Before God, we come (and give ourselves) in that weakness and dependence. Because, if you are like me, you mess up many times, frankly we come before God in rags. But what matters is we come to God ("Come unto Me") and open our hearts to the love of God, and open ourselves to love God back. That's not always easy at all, because of hurt and regrets and maybe guilt.
But I think, over time, trust can build between God and us. Over time, we may come to experience the grace of God, and know times together where we find quiet spirit to be still, to be quiet, to gaze, to trust, to love.
To me, that kind of givenness in love is at the heart of prayer (essentially and primarily God's love for us, and givenness to us). But it doesn't end there. What I find is that once there is trust and openness, we also open ourselves to the flow of God's love, and the power of God's love, to pray for other people and to live out that love and compassion towards other people.
In other words, God's givenness to us, is not simply for us. It is so we can open up to everything it means to be given to God, open up to that flow of love and God's Spirit... and so our prayer life can maybe infect all the rest of our lives with more love and more grace (albeit we will always be frail, weak and fallible).
So to me (and don't get me wrong, my prayer life is quite often poor) God longs for us to come in prayer, both to share love with us, but also to open us to intercession for others.
I'm interested in other aspects of prayer any of you feel you would like to share.