My Reflections:
We need to
remember that the journey of prayer is dynamic. We do not just offer our prayer
to God and then forget about it. That would be like dropping it in a slot
machine and waiting for the answer to drop out, without our engagement in the
process.
Our life of
prayer is constantly changing. That is why I focus on the journey of prayer.
Many of the things that I have learned relate to the gift of prayer or as it is
often called the gift of intercession. Even if you do not believe that you have
this particular spiritual gift, I believe that every Christian will at some
time face the need to intercede for someone. Those who do not have this calling
as a spiritual gift, need not feel guilty or inadequate in any way because they
are not like those who have been given this gift. Their prayers can be equally effective.
Prayer Scriptures:
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
(Matthew 21: 22)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that
you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11: 24)
My Reflections:
I do not
know why God chose to give me the gift of prayer, but for a long time I was
quite reluctant to talk to others about my life of prayer. I possibly might
never have done so, had my husband not begun to refer to it from time to time.
The problem was that when people heard about my extended times of prayer others
would feel that in order to honour God they also had to include that particular
discipline in their lives. This is not necessarily true. The wonderful thing
about the life of faith is that each of us has our own unique journey with our
own guide, the Holy Spirit who lives within us. He never imposes the same
pattern on each of our lives, but with respect for our uniqueness, He leads us
in the way that will most effectively enable us to develop into the people He
desires us to be.
Prayer Scriptures:
“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be
praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things
he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”
(Isaiah 63: 7)
My Reflections:
The most
important element in our prayer journey, as in all parts of our development in
faith, is what I call the orientation of our hearts. If our hearts are open to
what the Spirit wants to teach us and to His guidance in our lives we will
appreciate what He is doing and will become effective for His purposes. We will
be open to trying new methods to be effective in the development of our
spiritual lives that are in tune with the leading of the Spirit. We may learn
them from comments from someone else, or something that we read or hear or an
idea may come to us seemingly from out of the blue.
Prayer Scriptures:
“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For
your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.” (Daniel 9: 17)
Your Reflections:
Do you have any questions or comments about
the uniqueness of our prayer journeys or about the concept of the orientation
of our hearts? Please feel free to share them.
