Luke 11:1-13
Teach us to pray, how is your prayer life? Do you even have one? Do you feel you need to be taught? Prayer is our means of relationship with God. It is how we check in and see if we are doing the best we can with being knit into God's kin-dom. So it is an important line to keep open.
The thing about prayer is it keeps us abundantly in touch and we can use it anytime. One simple way to pray is to have a conversation. Just let it come off the top of your head and let it roll. Unburden yourself. Using scripture is a help, the Psalms are great for this because they run the whole gambit of human emotion. To praise when you don't feel like it, to mourn, to be angry, to feel isolated they bring us always to God even when we don't think God is even listening.
Then there are practices of prayer. Using a daily office or the examen can be helpful, there are even apps on your smartphone for this. They bring us into quiet, help us meditate, help us to remember to be grateful. They keep us imbedded in the sacred through familiarity also. Memorizing certain ones which will sustain us in trouble.
Isn't this what the disciples are asking for today? A prayer they will have even when Jesus is gone. A touch point of remembrance, which we still say today. Yes, the prayer is longer than this piece of scripture, it is still powerful if we listen into it. Because prayer is that practice of not only speaking, but listening to where the Holy Spirit may direct us.
So try it, everyday in some way keep the lines of communication flowing. It will help order your life and assist your walk in the Christian life. Stay open to be surprised by the Spirit as you learn and grow. Listen deeply to what Jesus has ins store for you. It will be abundant.
Teach us to pray, how is your prayer life? Do you even have one? Do you feel you need to be taught? Prayer is our means of relationship with God. It is how we check in and see if we are doing the best we can with being knit into God's kin-dom. So it is an important line to keep open.
The thing about prayer is it keeps us abundantly in touch and we can use it anytime. One simple way to pray is to have a conversation. Just let it come off the top of your head and let it roll. Unburden yourself. Using scripture is a help, the Psalms are great for this because they run the whole gambit of human emotion. To praise when you don't feel like it, to mourn, to be angry, to feel isolated they bring us always to God even when we don't think God is even listening.
Then there are practices of prayer. Using a daily office or the examen can be helpful, there are even apps on your smartphone for this. They bring us into quiet, help us meditate, help us to remember to be grateful. They keep us imbedded in the sacred through familiarity also. Memorizing certain ones which will sustain us in trouble.
Isn't this what the disciples are asking for today? A prayer they will have even when Jesus is gone. A touch point of remembrance, which we still say today. Yes, the prayer is longer than this piece of scripture, it is still powerful if we listen into it. Because prayer is that practice of not only speaking, but listening to where the Holy Spirit may direct us.
So try it, everyday in some way keep the lines of communication flowing. It will help order your life and assist your walk in the Christian life. Stay open to be surprised by the Spirit as you learn and grow. Listen deeply to what Jesus has ins store for you. It will be abundant.
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