Prayer. We tend to think of it as a formalized, lifting the heart action. Yet, silence, stillness, emptiness are also forms of prayer. Being still before God is a prayer. Sitting and waiting is a prayer. Standing in openness to receive is prayer. So why do we have such a narrow concept of prayer? I suppose it comes from our religious experience.
I've been brought up on the social aspect of prayer. And I readily admit, a good liturgical service really lifts my heart and soul, no matter how I might feel otherwise. But I've been careful to make liturgical prayer only ONE of my ways of praying. And I think it means so much to me precisely because I've learned other forms of prayer, other ways of praying.
Jesus often spent time in the "other" forms of prayer. We see in Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, and in Mark 1:12-13 that Jesus loved to wander out into the early morning mist and solitude to spend some quiet time in prayer. Before every big event in his life, Jesus withdrew for prayer. Even before choosing his disciples, he first spent the night in quiet prayer.
To pray as Jesus did, we must learn the informal ways of prayer, the quick thought or hurried thanksgiving we make because we are conscious of God's presence within us. And this is the whole purpose of prayer, is it not? To become aware of the presence. To be in touch with the Divine.
No comments:
Post a Comment