So I am completely blessed today (along with every other day) the sun has returned from its slumber and is beckoning me to forget my responsibilities and entertain it. I won’t though, it’s destined to return again, and then we will embrace each other all the daylong when it does.
Today’s thoughts come from another experience of mine, this time it involves prayer. Throughout my life prayer has been something that the Lord has been walking me through, developing and teaching me, and in no way have I ‘figured it out’ but I have discovered something that begs a question. But first a little history from my end about prayer.
Last year I had the glorious opportunity to intern under AYMI a youth organization, with the internship stressing leadership. It was a life changing experience, as it seems everything is that I’m walking through these days. My roommate for the year was a one Nathan Densely, who challenged me with the concept of prayer as we lived in our dilapidated apartment in downtown Calgary, so close to a crack house we had to wipe the dust off our counters daily (facetious). What this man taught me all year was that there was power in prayer, something that I struggled to recognize earlier on in my life. I could always find him down on his face before the Lord as he cried out to Him at all hours of the night.
Well the Lord is beginning to walk me toward similar waters. I have this huge desire to fall deeper in love with Him, spend more time with and grow our relationship. What I’m finding is that when I pray, I often have real conversations with Him, as though I can see Him there with me, face to face. I use words that I use everyday, as if speaking to my father.
Now when I’m faced with the idea of a prayer meeting, I usually find it hard to be motivated because I am faced with what seems like a ritualistic type of prayer. I am put in a room with however many people and we will either pray what is on our hearts with our heads bowed and eyes closed or we will take turns in a circle. Please understand I am in no way complaining or attempting to view this type of prayer in a negative light. What I am doing is asking the question, where is that passionate prayer that brings me to my feet, and makes me yell with intensity? Where did the idea of this structured prayer, this very seemingly traditional prayer come from?
I have been to many different places in my brief existence and nothing is more motivating then when someone pours out their hearts to the Lord. I’m asking this because I myself do it. I can notice a distinct difference with my interaction with the Lord when I’m around my close co-workers, on my own or in a prayer meeting.
Do you have any thoughts on where this developed from, and perhaps your own experiences with the idea of praying, where your at with the idea, and how you go about doing it. I would love to have your input, because really I just want to know some different perspectives.
5 comments:
Father Demitrius, the Monk who hosts us at the Benedictine Monestary told us that he realy admires our ability to pray together ex-temporaneously. In other words, we do not use scripted prayers but just say what is on our hearts. Strange how he would describe something as very free where others find it ritualistic.
I think that "ritual" comes with corperate prayer because we intentionally want to be "honourable" and "mystic." It may not be intentional but rather instinctual.
I know what you mean about the conversation that we have with the Holy Spirit, and I often have those friendly two-way chats. The thing I would have a problem with would be listening to someone else having that chat in a group prayer meeting. He is the only one hearing the Holy Spirit, and in a sense it is a private conversation. To be that casual in a two way format would be like having a meeting where everybody was also talking on the phone out loud. Hard to follow or agree with someone when you are missing half of the dialogue.
I wish that God would speak audibly all the time. That would make it much easier. Then again, if he did speak audibly he might say something that would be very difficult to deal with in a group, like..."alright you guys, now that you have finished four years of Bible School, I want you all to move together and plant a church in Winnepeg." (I have often prayed, Please Lord...don't send me to winter-peg.)
Matthew 18:19-20 says "Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them"
I would agree with Scott, it would seem foolish to have those "intimate" talks with God in a corporate setting. I totally understand your hesitancy in group settings because I have the same feelings. But I think it is important to place our prayers and concerns to God with others present so we can become one body united in prayer and in agreeance with each other. Jesus taught us that this is a good practice, and so that gives me more than enough reason to practice it. It is quite uncomfortable, and we have to be careful not to let it become "ritualistic". Anything can become a ritual if we let it, if our hearts are not in the right piace and we are doing it only for the outside appearance.
Prayer is such an intimate and essential part to the growing of our faith, and relationship with Christ. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I have often wondered this as well because so many of the corporate prayer meetings I have been in seem so dry, like we are just trying to check things off the prayer list. I know this is slightly off topic, but I also wonder why people gather together for pre-service prayer so faithfully when it is something like Encounter Weekend or what have you, but that it is so rare that pre-service prayer for church services or what have you are even offered, let alone attended.
I was actually thinking about prayer as well today as I thought about what I learned through leading the LifeForce team. Nathan impacted me likewise by demonstrating prayer as I know it should be--honest, vulnerable, constant...I pray differently now, though as much from a greater understanding of the Father as from an understanding of what talking to Him should be like. It's making me more and more thankful that I have been given the privilege of talking to Jesus, and hearing His voice in return. Thanks for this blog Greg.
Can't even begin to start on what an awesome inspiration Nathan has been to me in both prayer and worship. There's a lot to admire about him.
I'm understanding you exactly. I don't really have anything deep or encouraging to say on it.. because I'm in the exact same spot. It's a little bit frustrating to me. I think it's a good 'frustrating' though, if you know what I mean.
Post a Comment