Prayer is like a coming home…
...of sorts.
In some ways, we've all been living in a far off land, and God has been beckoning us to return...to His Arms, to His Heart, to Him. He's inviting us to come talk with Him—can you hear His Voice?—and to return to home plate…to that for which we were created…to that realm where we can be fully embraced by Him, embrace Him in return, and receive from Him the life He wishes to share with us.
In some ways, we've all been living in a far off land, and God has been beckoning us to return...to His Arms, to His Heart, to Him. He's inviting us to come talk with Him—can you hear His Voice?—and to return to home plate…to that for which we were created…to that realm where we can be fully embraced by Him, embrace Him in return, and receive from Him the life He wishes to share with us.
Prayer is also an awakening to that which is beyond our normal perceptions. The world of the physical senses can be so vivid, at times, that it can overshadow the larger world of the spirit. It is possible, though, to use this very thing to our advantage by allowing our senses to become a gateway to the very presence of the part of heaven that resides within us.
Prayer is, chiefly, communion with God. And it requires—no, demands—all that we are: our physical senses, our emotions, our drives, our thoughts, even our imaginations.
Prayer is, chiefly, communion with God. And it requires—no, demands—all that we are: our physical senses, our emotions, our drives, our thoughts, even our imaginations.
Physical Senses
God created and is present in all things. I taste of God’s nourishing humor when I down a good chili dog while watching kids race the bases between innings at a Durham Bulls baseball game. I’ve admired God’s beauty and sleekness in the marsh birds that dance through the wetland sites I visit on a regular basis. I sense God’s strength in the waterfall and rock formations I like visit near my old home in Virginia. I feel God’s breath when the wind pushes at my back. And I smell of God’s goodness every time I step into a coffee shop.
Emotions
God gave me my emotions to enjoy AND to meter my life. When I’ve hurt or been hurt by others, God uses the pain and sorrow I feel to enable me to be a greater channel of His loving-kindness to those around me. God uses the joy I feel in moving to inspire me to honor Him in the ways in which I move. I know God loves me, because I can sense just how glad He is to see me when I awaken each morning. And I know God’s forgiven me because He’s given me the ability to forgive and to love and to give of myself to those who’ve hurt me.
Drives
What gets you up in the morning? I'll tell you what gets me up. It's knowing that there’s a purpose to everything I do, experience, and suffer, and that that purpose is working for my good and the good of God's expanding kingdom.
When I feel hungry, I’m reminded of my continual need for spiritual as well as physical nourishment. When I feel threatened, I can remember that I’m not alone and that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside me. And when I feel lacking and want more than what I have, I seek from God what I need, and I tell Him what I want, all the while keeping in mind the ultimate hope I have in the life to come.
When I feel hungry, I’m reminded of my continual need for spiritual as well as physical nourishment. When I feel threatened, I can remember that I’m not alone and that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside me. And when I feel lacking and want more than what I have, I seek from God what I need, and I tell Him what I want, all the while keeping in mind the ultimate hope I have in the life to come.
Thoughts
Did you know that more than 90% of our conversation as human beings is spent dialoguing internally with ourselves? For introverts, that percentage may be only a percentage point or two shy of 100. In twenty-nine years of walking with God, I've discovered that prayer, in it’s most basic and transformational sense, may be as simple as just inviting God to be a part of the internal conversations going on within my own mind. There’s far less pressure—you know? It’s just two individuals—me and God—hanging out together and shooting the breeze. Now how cool is that? To be able to shoot the breeze with The Master of the Universe? It brings a tear to my eye when I realize that God likes it more than I do, and I like it A LOT!
Imaginations
In Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola invites us to use our imagination to experience what we read in scripture. In Prayer, Richard Foster expounds on this concept in the following paraphrased passage…
If, for example, you're reading about Christ on trial for his life, “see” the crowd, “hear” the accusations, and “feel” the sting of the whip. Move from just reading about what happened to entering in to what happened. See, hear, smell, taste, and touch the story.
Through reading scripture in this way, I can commune with God on a much deeper level as He engages me completely through my reading of His Word.
Concluding Thoughts
Prayer, or intimacy with God, draws upon all that makes us human. Communing with God is not just about speech communication; often, it goes far beyond that. How can one describe the beauty of a sunset and do it justice? As Anne of Green Gables might say, "I'd like to just feel a prayer." Prayer enables us to share with God in His orchestration of the universe—even the changing of the tides. Through embodied prayer, God permeates all that we are and all that we experience. Such is the essence of true wakefulness.
Have a nice day, y'all,
Bling
Prayer, or intimacy with God, draws upon all that makes us human. Communing with God is not just about speech communication; often, it goes far beyond that. How can one describe the beauty of a sunset and do it justice? As Anne of Green Gables might say, "I'd like to just feel a prayer." Prayer enables us to share with God in His orchestration of the universe—even the changing of the tides. Through embodied prayer, God permeates all that we are and all that we experience. Such is the essence of true wakefulness.
Have a nice day, y'all,
Bling
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