Prayer

I started digging into "Prayer" by Philip Yancey last night. Actually I picked it up again after starting it but not getting very far into it. Great stuff, especially in light of our emphasis on cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus this week. Here's what he said:

"How often do I come to God not with consumer requests but simply a desire to spend time with God, to discern what God wants from me and not vice versa? Prayer that focuses on God, meditative prayer, can serve as a kind of self-forgetfulness. Some have called it a useless act because we do it not for the sake of getting something out of it, but spontaneously, as uselessly as a child at play.

Though my needs may drive me to prayer, there I come face-to-face with my greatest need: an encounter with God's own self.

Prayer that is based on relationship and not transaction may be the most freedom-enhancing way of connecting to a God whose vantage point we can never achieve and can hardly imagine (55)."

To be honest prayer has always been the hardest spiritual habit for me. I'm not talking about the kind of popcorn prayers that we say as we go through our day. Those are good. But I'm talking about an extended "conversation" with God where the focus really is on Him and not on my needs and wants. It's hard for me to quiet my soul and focus...yet it may be my greatest need.

Some things that have helped me do this have been taking a walk or even a jog...for me sitting makes it impossible but when I'm moving...even driving, it comes more naturally.