Prayer, Glory and Trust

In the past six months or so, there have been circumstances in the lives of people around me and in my community of faith that have compelled me to deep, urgent praying. Although prayer is a regular part of my life, there are times when the Spirit leads me into what scriptures calls 'fervent prayer'. The kind that drives you to your knees, that is accompanied by tears and a wrung out heart. It's coming before my Father in desperation. I need to hear from Him; I need to be able to trust Him for something big. I believe this is when God is calling me back to Him, to show me how dependent I am on His grace and goodness.

This is when I look for promises in Scripture that I can hold up, reminding the Father of His faithfulness. It's when I look at history - both further back and recent, in biblical times and in my own life - to remind Him of what He's already done. It's when I look at His will for this world, and pray accordingly. Doing this resets my perspective and helps me pray in step with the Spirit. I am reminded that through Christ, any and every situation can be redeemed. And I pray that back to Him.

The one thing that stood out for me in these last months is the importance of praying for God's glory to be revealed in every request I make (it might even change/omit certain requests). Creation, including humankind, exist for His glory. And so, praying for answers that will reveal His character, His greatness, is what changes my heart but also gives me His ear.

With this in mind, I tested it on the Lord's prayer:

Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name,
       to display Your glory

Your kingdom come,
       to display Your glory

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
       to display Your glory

Give us today our daily bread,
       to display Your glory

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
       to display Your glory

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
        to display Your glory.

When we truly desire God's glory first of all, everything changes. Our agenda becomes aligned with the kingdom. Is this easy? Is it automatic? Of course not. There is still the struggle with what I want and how I want my petitions answered. But as I pray this way, I slowly grow into a deeper peace and trust.

Different Strokes

Lest we think that our time of meditation should be modelled after someone else's, it's freeing to know that experimentation will help us find what's best in our own situation, for our own personality.

In his book, God in My Everything https://www.amazon.ca/God-My-Everything-Ancient-Rhythm/dp/0310499259, Ken Shigematsu describes his personal time with God first thing in the morning, after preparing a light breakfast. Sitting at the kitchen table, "after several minutes of silence, I put on my headphones and begin listening to a Psalm, a passage in the Gospels, or another Scripture while reading along in my Bible. I YouTube a worship song, usually one from our previous Sunday's worship service, then enter into a time of prayer in response to something that has resonated with me from that passage or song. I almost always follow this routine by jogging or swimming; after quiet contemplation, physical activity feels like an extension of my time with God."

I've used my phone for meditation now and then, but not as a rule. Just goes to show there's all kinds of ways/places/tools to try out. And ways to think about what will help us carry our light with us into our day.

There's something refreshing about how Shigematsu extends his time with God through exercise. There is no 'period' at the end of his mediation time. It's an ellipsis . . .

Isn't this how it should be? Feels like the foreshadowing of movement from this life into the next. Nothing final. Just a natural progression.

Meditation - Week 1

Although we may be practicing more than one discipline at a time, I will be focusing on one main discipline each month. In this new year, we'll begin with the discipline of meditation in January. Regardless of faith background, it's well documented that meditation is healthy - bonus!

As an inner discipline, meditation does require time set aside in a quiet space, away from distractions.  For many people, early morning works best. The morning also allows us to focus on what's necessary at the beginning of the day, before we become involved in all the tasks at hand. Then we can hold our thoughts lightly throughout the day as we notice more related to our specific time spent in God's presence.

I've spent time in meditation several days this week (I'm not measuring - just going for improvement here, folks!). So often I've started out well, only to fail miserably - by my owns standards. Not going there this time. As I mentioned in my article (http://lightmagazine.ca/2017/01/spiritual-practices-for-the-new-year/), it's not about earning, but yearning. That one's a hard concept for me to grasp.

I've been using Seeking God's Face: Praying with the Bible Though the Year by Phil Reinders (https://www.amazon.ca/Seeking-Gods-Face-Praying-Through/dp/1592557686). It uses the practice of reading a short biblical passage, reading it again, and noticing what stands out. I find that reading it aloud slowly is most helpful. This is not about intellectual biblical study. It's about what the Spirit is bringing to your attention at that particular moment. Then, pondering the word or idea that resonates, being honest with God - asking questions, bringing concerns, feelings, and listening to the Spirit's nudging - and praying those back. This process takes time, an unhurried posture and stillness. In my experience, 20 minutes is not unreasonable, but do what feels right to you.

Reinders gives prayer suggestions and provides a closing prayer and blessing; a beautiful way to move from your carved out meditation time into the rest of your day.

Most of my mediation times this week were quite ordinary. I expect that. Still, there are insights to ponder, to question, to observe. Today went a bit deeper. A deeper yearning opened up within me (you can just never predict when that's going to happen) as I read not only the passage, but Reinders' introduction to the season of Epiphany. Jesus, the Light of the world - I was struck on so many levels by that image! I will wait to see what comes of my prayer; perhaps I will have something to share later (beginning to feel a wee bit vulnerable...)

For me, journaling is a way of bringing hidden stirrings to the surface, like cream on fresh milk. I am often surprised by what comes out when my pen meets paper. Makes the process interesting and exciting!

How's it going for you?

Twelve Disciples . . . ah, Disciplines

The twelve Spiritual Disciplines are neatly arranged into groupings of four, into three categories:

Inner disciplines:

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Fasting 
• Study

Outward Disciplines:

• Simplicity
• Solitude
• Submission
• Service

Corporate Disciplines

• Confession
• Worship
• Guidance
• Celebration

It's a daunting list, isn't it? I have to fit all of this somewhere in my already packed life? 

In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster contends that these classic Spiritual Disciplines invite us into a deeper life, one that takes us beneath the superficiality that so often characterizes our existence and society. He also says that we ought not to think that they are just for 'spiritual giants', but they are actually for ordinary people like you and me, and that they are best exercised among our spouses, kids, grandkids, siblings, fellow workers, neighbors and friends. 

Hmmm...could it be that these disciplines have some rubber-meets-the-road benefit? Maybe we can debunk the oft-held myth that entering a relationship with God is impractical - a sort of 'separate life' from the ordinary, everyday goings on.