the mystery of prayer: synchroblog
As I’ve mentioned several times here, I grew up in the charismatic/pentecostal tradition. One of the wonderful things about that tradition is that I KNEW that God heard me, spoke to me and was present and involved in my life. I do not recall ever doubting that beyond blips here and there. One of the pitfalls of my experience was that my neurosis of “accomplishment” and “experience” was further strengthened by the teachings and observations in my churches.
Personal prayer time that did not involve some sort of “experience” (emotion, hearing God’s voice, some sort of transformation, etc.) felt completely purposeless to me which often resulted in massive frustration.
Prayer has always been a weak point in my relationship with God…and the lessons I received about prayer merely served to shame me into pretending that I had this dynamic prayer life. I remember hearing youth group pastors say things like this: “you all have friends, can you imagine how hurt your friend would be if you only came to him/her with your problems, if you only talked and never listened, if you never told him/her how much you loved and appreciated them…well, that’s how God feels when you don’t pray every day, when you don’t communicate with him”. It’s a variation on the theme of “it makes Jesus sad when you xxxx”. When I heard those messages, I became more and more convinced that there was something desperately wrong with the state of my soul.
I still struggle with prayer. My prayers often feel canned and whiny or false and trite. I find myself repeating the same lame phrases that really mean nothing to me. The only thing that has revived my prayer life is to reinstate the mystery of prayer through fixed hour “prayer with the church” - or in other words, praying Bible verses and “scripted” prayers from the Book of Common Prayer, the Hours, Celtic Daily Prayer and other resources.
Reading Scot McKnight’s book, Praying with the Church was a breath of fresh air for me. I was able to enjoy a sort of mysterious rhythm of prayer that led me into more authentic spontaneous prayer. Honestly, without the emerging church conversations about deep orthodoxy, I would not have been open to this type of prayer and would have probably continued pretending.
When I pray the Psalms or the prayers of other saints gone before, I join with the mystery that is the Body of Christ in a mystery that is prayer. I am able to rest in the knowledge that communicating with God is enough - that I don’t need to “experience” something all the time, I don’t need to emerge a changed person every time, I don’t need to intercede for the lost for hours to have my voice heard by God. There is a divine mystery that takes place when I simply acknowledge that God is near - - and that is “enough”.
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[tags]prayer, emerging[/tags]
- Posted by Mak at 09:06 pm
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[...] participating in the synchroblog today are: Cindy Bryan Teach Me to Pray…Again? Lyn Hallewell God, Prayer and Me Erin Word Prayer=Sex with God Rick Meigs Prayer Helps that Get Me Deeper AlanKnox Pray without Ceasing Julie Clawson Prayer Synchroblog Heather Synchroblog Prayer Alex (Heather’s Husband) Prayer Synchroblog II Lydia How Do You Pray Che Vachon My Thoughts… Paul Mayers Praying and Learning to Pray Again Sonja Andrews The Appearance of Holiness Jon Peres How Do I Pray? Paul Walker One Congregation Experiments with Emerging Prayer Susan Barnes Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? Brother Maynard Fear Not the Silence Nate Peres How Do I Pray? Barry Taylor Synchroblog:How Do You Pray? Emerging Grace Clearance Sale on Intercession Books Jim Lehmer Synchroblog - How Do You Pray? Lew A How Do You Pray? - Synchroblog Jon Hallewell When I’m Spoken To Deb Prayer Synchroblog Barb Prayer without Throwing Things Patti Blount How Do I Pray Doug Jones How I Pray Glenn Hagar Prayer Phases Pam Hogeweide The Art of Blue Tape Spirituality Mary How Do I Pray? Rhonda Mitchell Prayer SynchroBlog John Smulo Praying Naturally Rachel Warwick How Do You Pray? Barbara Legere How to Not Pray Jonathan Brink Posture - Sitting With My Daddy Andy How Do I Pray Cynthia Clack How Do I Pray Makeesha Fisher The Mystery of Prayer Kathryn Joy Michael Holcomb [...]
Thanks for sharing Mak. I think so many of us are on a journey with prayer right now. I love your last paragraph. “I am able to rest in the knowledge that communicating with God is enough - that I don’t need to “experience” something all of the time.” This is where I really struggle in church prayer. ” What is God saying to you all?” the pastor will ask, and this is followed by “I think he’s saying …” Now that’s great, it’s wonderful when God speaks with us, but I sometimes think that we forget that sometimes God is silent. If we look through the bible he wasn’t constantly talking to the people. Time and time again we read “Lord, why are you silent?” “Do not keep silent” “Answer me” Yet I think today we are a bit to blase as to how often we expect to hear from God. I love Mother Teresa’s quote which Brother Maynard mentioned. She speaks about listening to God and is asked what God is doing and she replies “He’s listening too”
The liturgical prayers of the ancient saints have been my salvation as well … I’m with ya babe! They help me speak and for some reason they also help me listen. They help me to hear the things that God has always said. She doesn’t speak new things all the time … but there are veins of truth that He speaks and we can hear those in the ancient liturgical prayers in ways that spontaneous praying doesn’t provide.
Makeesha- thank you for being part of the synchroblog!
“There is a divine mystery that takes place when I simply acknowledge that God is near - - and that is “enough”.”
that is a beautiful statement.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s funny, I grew up Episcopalian and received a Book of Common Prayer when I was confirmed at 23. I never really looked at it and packed it away with many other parts of my faith. Lately, I’ve been looking for it through boxes and crates from my many moves, and cannot find it and am sick about it.
There is something really powerful about praying through the words of others. While some may see it as rote and “uninspired”, there is something really comforting about how other people have spoken to God. As with many things, sometimes there isn’t a need to completely reinvent the wheel.
You are like the 104th person who talks about praying the hours. I can’t help but wonder if I should look into it.
Because I’m from a charismatic background, too, and understand what you’re talking about, this line really spoke to me: “I am able to rest in the knowledge that communicating with God is enough - that I don’t need to “experience” something all the time, I don’t need to emerge a changed person every time, I don’t need to intercede for the lost for hours to have my voice heard by God.”
Thanks Makeesha.
Your honesty along with discipline/intentionality is good for me to hear this morning. Thanks.
It reminds me of the words of Thomas Merton,
“There is no such thing as prayer in which “nothing is done” or “nothing happens,” although there well may be a prayer in which nothing is perceived or felt or thought.”
And thats coming from a monk who had lots of built in space for it.
I don’t hear to many people talk about prayer much. Come to think of it, out of all my Master of Divinity classes i can barely remember much mention about the discipline of prayer. Goofy.
[...] A few others: Cindy Bryan Teach Me to Pray…Again? Lyn Hallewell God, Prayer and Me Erin Word Prayer=Sex with God Rick Meigs Prayer Helps that Get Me Deeper Alan Knox Pray without Ceasing Julie Clawson Prayer Synchroblog Heather Synchroblog Prayer Alex (Heather’s Husband) Prayer Synchroblog II Lydia How Do You Pray Che Vachon My Thoughts… Paul Mayers Praying and Learning to Pray Again Sonja Andrews The Appearance of Holiness Jon Peres How Do I Pray? Paul Walker One Congregation Experiments with Emerging Prayer Susan Barnes Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? Brother Maynard Fear Not the Silence Nate Peres How Do I Pray? Barry Taylor Synchroblog:How Do You Pray? Emerging Grace Clearance Sale on Intercession Books Jim Lehmer Synchroblog - How Do You Pray? Lew A How Do You Pray? - Synchroblog Jon Hallewell When I’m Spoken To Deb Prayer Synchroblog Barb Prayer without Throwing Things Patti Blount How Do I Pray Doug Jones How I Pray Glenn Hagar Prayer Phases Pam Hogeweide The Art of Blue Tape Spirituality Mary How Do I Pray? Rhonda Mitchell Prayer SynchroBlog John Smulo Praying Naturally Rachel Warwick How Do You Pray? Barbara Legere How to Not Pray Andy How Do I Pray Cynthia Clack How Do I Pray Makeesha Fisher The Mystery of Prayer [...]
Hi Mak,
Yeah, there was a lot of guilt wrapped up in my prayer life before … and it was lifeless, really.
The mystery of praying the body is what brought me to a natural state of prayer. I still love praying The Divine Hours.
[...] Please visit these other “How Do You Pray” Synchroblog participants. Cindy Bryan Teach Me to Pray…Again? Lyn Hallewell God, Prayer and Me Erin Word Prayer=Sex with God Rick Meigs Prayer Helps that Get Me Deeper Alan Knox Pray without Ceasing Julie Clawson Prayer Synchroblog Heather Synchroblog Prayer Alex (Heather’s Husband) Prayer Synchroblog II Lydia How Do You Pray Che Vachon My Thoughts… Paul Mayers Praying and Learning to Pray Again Sonja Andrews The Appearance of Holiness Jon Peres How Do I Pray? Paul Walker One Congregation Experiments with Emerging Prayer Susan Barnes Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? Brother Maynard Fear Not the Silence Nate Peres How Do I Pray? Barry Taylor Synchroblog:How Do You Pray? Emerging Grace Clearance Sale on Intercession Books Jim Lehmer Synchroblog - How Do You Pray? Lew A How Do You Pray? - Synchroblog Jon Hallewell When I’m Spoken To Deb Prayer Synchroblog Barb Prayer without Throwing Things Patti Blount How Do I Pray Doug Jones How I Pray Glenn Hagar Prayer Phases Pam Hogeweide The Art of Blue Tape Spirituality Mary How Do I Pray? Rhonda Mitchell Prayer SynchroBlog John Smulo Praying Naturally Rachel Warwick How Do You Pray? Barbara Legere How to Not Pray Jonathan Brink Posture - Sitting With My Daddy Andy How Do I Pray Cynthia Clack How Do I Pray Makeesha Fisher The Mystery of Prayer Joy Synchroblog:Prayer [...]
[...] Here is an updated list of the participants. Alan Knox - The Assembling of the Church - Pray without Ceasing Alex - Deconstructed Christian - Prayer Synchroblog II Andy - A Mile From the Beach - How Do I Pray Barb - A Former Leader’s Journey - Prayer Without Throwing Things Barbara Legere - Prodigal Daughter - How to Not Pray Barry Taylor - Honest Faith - Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? Brother Maynard - Subversive Influence - Fear Not the Silence Che Vachon - ThisStream - My Thoughts… Cindy Bryan - Run With It - Teach Me to Pray…Again? Cynthia Clack - A Life Profound - How Do I Pray Deb - Another Unfinished Symphony - Prayer Synchroblog Doug Jones - Perigrinatio - How I Pray Erin Word - Decompressing Faith - Prayer=Sex with God Glenn Hagar - Re-Dreaming the Dream - Prayer Phases Grace - Emerging Grace - Clearance Sale on Intercession Books Heather - Deconstructed Christian - Synchroblog Prayer Jim Lehmer - Lord I Believe, Please Help My Unbelief - Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? John Smulo - SmuloSpace - Praying Naturally Jon Hallewell - Life-Shaped Faith - When I’m Spoken To Jon Peres - Something Else - How Do I Pray? Jonathan Brink - Missio Dei - Posture: Sitting With My Daddy Joy - My Emerging Faith - Synchroblog: Prayer Julie Clawson - One Hand Clapping - Prayer Synchroblog Larry - Last Exit Before Oblivion - Prayer is Weird Lew A - The Pursuit - How Do You Pray? Synchroblog Lydia - The Nunnery - How Do You Pray Lyn Hallewell - Beyond the 4 Walls - God, Prayer and Me Makeesha Fisher - Swinging from the Vine - The Mystery of Prayer Mary - One Thing is Needed - How Do I Pray? Nate Peres - Defined - How Do I Pray? Pam Hogeweide - How God Messed up my Religion - The Art of Blue Tape Spirituality Patti Blount - Here Comes the Groom - How Do I Pray Paul Mayers - One for the Road - Praying and Learning to Pray Again Paul Walker - Out of the Cocoon - One Congregation Experiments with Emerging Prayer Rachel Warwick - Not Where Next but Where Now - How Do You Pray? Rhonda Mitchell - Rhonda’s Blog - Prayer SynchroBlog Rick Meigs - The Blind Beggar - Prayer Helps that Get Me Deeper Rick Stilwell - Mmm…That’s Good Coffee - Push Rob McAlpine - RobbyMac - Synchro-Prayer Sonja Andrews - Calacirian - The Appearance of Holiness Susan Barnes - A Booklook - Synchroblog: How Do You Pray? [...]
I’ve been using the Celtic prayer book for the past week or so … I really enjoy it. I think your word “mysterious” captures it perfectly. Something happens when you’re freely enjoying being in the presence of God instead of fumbling for words. I was raised to look down on those worded prayers as “vain repetitions.” Wow, I am really learning to reexamine much of what I was taught for myself.
I don’t get here often but everytime I do, I love what I find!
I resonate with, “I still struggle with prayer. My prayers often feel canned and whiny or false and trite”.
When I start feeling like this, I have to shut the old tapes off.
Sometimes being honest is harder than being mechanical. Still, I wouldn’t trade an authentic relationship with the living God over anything.
I’m so encourage after reading your post.
Thanks for sharing this.
[...] Pray Jonathan Brink Posture - Sitting With My Daddy Andy How Do I Pray Cynthia Clack How Do I Pray Makeesha Fisher The Mystery of Prayer Kathryn Joy Michael [...]