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Prayer 101: Prayer as a Priority

So, how does your morning begin?

Some of us gently awaken and whisper, "Good morning Lord!" And then sometimes, especially when life is in a curve-ball mode, we begin the day with the words, "Good Lord it's morning!"

That's true isn't it? Be honest.

I don't know about you but I have enjoyed this journey of examining prayer. There are times when I've been elated at understanding something clearly for the first time that I've read many times before and prayed about in God's Word. There are other times when, in quiet prayer and solitude, God's Holy Spirit has convicted me of sin that is or has been hindering not only my relationship with Him, but a relationship with another person - be it a friend, casual acquaintance, stranger, one of my kids or even my wife. And through it all, God is at work in my life.

You and I have been on a special journey these weeks looking at prayer.

Prayer 101: Prayer & God's Plan

I don't know about you, but I sometimes think about being part of something bigger or greater than me.

It's not that I'm arrogant or have a huge ego that needs to be constantly stroked (okay, I have a small ego that's needs to be stroked every once in a while), but sometimes, life is pretty mundane. And when it gets really mundane, all of us - including me - rhetorically ask, "isn't there more to life than this?"

The answer to that question - whether we believe it or not - is, "yes! There is more to this life." Each one of us, in our own unique way is a part of the magnificent puzzle or mosaic of God' Eternal Plan. The problem is that we - I - only see a very small part of that plan. Sometimes we're oblivious to it. Other times, we may not believe we are "worthy" of participating in God's Plan.

The fact of the matter is that God - since man's creation - has continually used men and women as an integral part of His Plan of Redemption. After all, God's Plan of Redemption is for MAN and no other created being. The only other rebellious created beings are angels (now demons) who were created with a will , but not in God's likeness and image, and are already condemned without hope of redemption. Hell was created for their - and anyone who would choose to follow their example - rebellion and disobedience. These are facts that we have to not only understand but contend with.

Prayer 101: Trust

Trust is something, especially in human terms, that can be gained or lost.

Wives trust their husbands, explicitly and implicitly, that they will be loved and cared for. They trust that their husbands will protect them or support them not only financially, but physically and emotionally. Our wives trust us to be a good father and role model for our children. By the same token, we husbands trust that our wives will respect us for who we are and that, particularly within the context of a Christian marriage relationship, that our wives will trust us when we are working at what we believe is best for the entire family. Sometimes it may not look that way, but... we just wanted to be trusted.

Typically we men can go along pretty well until we slip the first time if we allow some necessary home repairs to go undone - because we don't "feel" like doing them. Or maybe, we didn't stand up for mom when she was being sassed by one of the teen children. Or maybe we got caught watching some porn or carrying on an inappropriate chat online with an unknown person of the opposite sex (blatant reasons to loose trust). All of those can lead to a breakdown of that initial trust.

Prayer 101: Grandeur & Simplicity

Our God is a God of indescribable grandeur and magnificence. Look around and notice the immensity of the universe and the complexity of His Creation.

Yet at the same time as we live in and experience God's awesome grandeur, there is a certain simplicity. We may be awestruck at the grandeur, but it's the simple things of life that cause us to smile and reflect on God's goodness.

As we pray, as we immerse ourselves in God's Word, we need, I need, to better notice the grandeur as well as the simplicity of what we are praying and how we are praying, but also how simply God wants us to be with Him. The grand prayer of an eloquent orator or preacher or teacher using "thees" and "thous" does not impress the ears of God any more than the simple words of a child praying for their mom or dad, or a drunkard who's had enough of their lifestyle and wants liberation and freedom from their addiction. Our God works equally awesomely in the grand things as well as in the simple things. He is God over all.

In Daniel's prayer of chapter nine, the prophet speaks of the "great and awesome God" (verse 4), which is His nature, he later describes some of His Works to mankind "who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made a name for yourself that endures to this day" (verse 15), those are indeed grand aspects of God.

Prayer 101: Confession & Repentance, Part 2

Confession is speaking to God "with knowledge" about who we are: saved sinners living in a fallen world.

Confession may be "good for the soul" but that's only half of the equation. We can confess all we want, but sooner or later, each one of us must put a stake in the ground and stop and repent (turn away) from what we are doing.

At one point toward the end of the discussion between Job and his three friends, Elihu, a younger man who has been listening to the give and take of the four (Job, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) speaks up and says to Job,

"Suppose a man says to God, 'I am guilty but will offend no more.
Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.'
Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know." Job 34:31 - 33.

That's a provocative question. Job's friends may not have been really "helping" him, but laced within their monologues were pearls of truth. And so I ask myself, "Should God reward me on my terms when I refuse to repent?" My pride doesn't want to answer that question; at least truthfully.

Prayer 101: Confession & Repentance, Part 1

Growing up Roman Catholic, the one day of the week that I really did not look forward to was Saturday. And in particular, Saturday afternoons after about 4 pm.

Why? Well as any good Catholic can tell you, the good Catholics head of to church at about that time and prepare for and take part in the sacrament of confession. No one speaks, but everyone instinctively knows when it's their turn to enter the confessional. You go in, kneel down and wait. Then you hear the little door slide open and you begin, "bless me father for I have sinned."

After a couple of years, I began asking the question that many Catholics ask (and maybe don't or are afraid to ask), "why? Why do I have to go into a special little closet and confess my sins to another person? Why cant' I just go to God Himself?"

Those questions asked in catechism class usually propelled you right over to the rectory and the Monsignor's office. And even worse, you really never got a good answer.

Prayer 101: Being Honest

Remember what your mom always told you, "Honesty is the best policy?"

When we're young and impressionable, we are honest. Children are honest with their thoughts, words and actions. Children are emotionally and intellectually honest about their feelings and observations; sometimes to the point of embarrassment to their parents!

Honesty requires humility. Humility in itself can be self-embarrassing in that we have to show ourselves as we are. Humility requires a certain "nakedness" of thought and being. Children, in their innocence, are more humble and honest. Jesus calls attention to this fact when He says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:3-4.

Prayer 101: God's Word Motivates

God's Word Motivates.

What does that mean, "God's Word Motivates"? I'm having a difficult time putting together a single sentence answer. Even before Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, he was motivated to pray. But as we look at his prayer in Daniel 9, we see that God's Word did indeed motivate Daniel to pray.

As we've already noted, Daniel looking back and through God's Word - the Jeremiah scrolls and other piece of Scripture that he had - Daniel understood God. Daniel understood His Ways. Daniel knew that whatever God had set out to do, was actually coming to fruition in his sight and experience. God was also the center of Daniel's life; not only was God the center of his prayers, but his very being. Daniel, I believe, was in a constant (almost) state of "being" with God. His life itself was prayer.

And that's where God wants all of us to be. After all, we are "human beings", designed and created to be with, and commune with, and enjoy God; both now in this temporal life and in the future  "eternity".

As I've thought through this process - and it is a process - there seems to be 2 parts to "motivates".

Prayer 101: Silence & Solitude, Part 2

Practicing the disciplines of Silence and Solitude takes effort. Being silent and in solitude are not natural for many of us.

The busyness and noise of the early twenty-first century should actually be a clarion call to find some place of peace and tranquility. All of us are almost continually surrounded by people and their chatter (either live or via television, radio or internet), full schedules of meetings and appointments (whether it's our personal or professional lives, not to mention our kids, spouses, significant others), and a society that is literally screaming for attention.

In fact, it's so noisy and crowded that we often find it close to impossible to discover rest and peace. Silence and solitude are elusive friends.

Prayer 101: Silence & Solitude, Part 1

Life in the early twenty-first century is not simple. It is noisy and crowded. Life almost seems to interfere with Life.

In chapter 3 of Peter Scazerro's book "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality", the ideas of silence and solitude are introduced in defining "contemplative spirituality". As we are in the process of becoming whole, we must join together "emotional health" with "contemplative spirituality".

The maturation process (sanctification) includes this wholistic view of who we are. More than that, I believe, is that in order to have a true and right and proper relationship with God - and therefore one another - we must be emotionally and spiritually healthy.

Scazerro briefly writes about such great saints as Saint Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa of Calcutta who regularly made time to be silent and alone with God. They knew that in order for them to be fully used by God, they needed to be regularly - and sometimes daily - recharged. They knew that they couldn't do it in their own strength. Today, we give that idea a lot of lip service, but don't really know how to do it. Keep in mind that this is a discipline that even our Lord Jesus regularly practiced. If He needed to find times of silence and solitude, how much more do we need to do those things? Life in the "fast lane" surely makes us "loose our minds..."