The Way of Prayer
The way of prayer is to be attendant on God in all that we do. This takes a deep listening for God’s “still, small voice” within, a back and forth with God about what we’re to do now and how we’re to do it. It’s a 24-hour a day attunement to the Divine.
The way of prayer is to acknowledge one’s faults, embrace the part of ourselves that ”missed the mark” and then to offer up the mistake to the Lord for healing. We have to take back the projections of our own problems onto others, embrace our own shadow, own our whole selves—the good, the bad and the ugly.
The way of prayer is humility, an honest assessment of all that we are and an acknowledgement that we are equal to every other single person on this planet and second, with everyone else, to God.
The way of prayer is all about the relationship with God. That’s first. Everything else in our lives comes after that. Ever deepening that relationship is our goal.
The way of prayer is for our minds to rest in God’s mind, for our bodies to be in God’s embrace, for our hearts to know God’s love, for our soul’s agenda for our lifetime to be realized.
The way of prayer is to be given the fruit of the Spirit which is the result of the deep relationship to and dependence on God.
The way of prayer is to find comfort in silence. To seek inner spaciousness, to look for inspiration in all that is, to rest below our surface minds in the deeper self.
The way of prayer is soulful. Grounded in the soul’s agenda for our lives that was set at our creation, we follow the soul’s lead.
The way of prayer is healing. As we confess our failings to God, we lift them up for healing. We open our deepest hurts, guilt and shame to God for healing.
The way of prayer is honesty and integrity. It is full of complaints to God as well as adoration and worship. Just look at the contents of the psalms. Letting God deal with all that we are is the way of prayer.
The way of prayer is study of God’s word, but especially of God’s word for me today in this passage, not what I’ve been taught it means. What is God saying to me today?
The way of prayer is lifting up ours and others’ challenges and sufferings and pain, allowing God to come in and help us, comfort us and heal us. It is not about what we want for ourselves or someone else. If all our prayers are to heal this person in this way or to control the outcome or in any way to conform to our own will, then we are off base. Let God’s will be done, whatever that means in any situation.
The way of prayer is to be connected with all life, all peoples through the web of connectedness that is our God.
The way of prayer for us is our faithfulness, perseverance and willingness. God’s way is to do his will.
_______
Questions to ponder over the week: How would I describe my own way of prayer? Is it consistent? Is it manipulative? Am I aligning myself with God’s will? Have I learned how to commune with God? What word or words would sum up my prayer life?
Check out my new posting on youtube: “We Aren’t Terrible People” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPe-EMPdAxo
Or follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/BTWwithPatAdams