C-19 Reflection #4: Working with What We’ve Got - Invitation to Short Prayer

C19 Daily Reflections: Working With What You’ve Got (#4)

Today: Invitation to Short Prayer

Scripture Reading: I Thessalonians 5:1-28

Scripture Focus: vv16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Reflection:

While I want to encourage you to read and reflect on this whole chapter in the Apostle Paul’s letter because it makes important links with our present time, I especially want to zero in on V 17–“pray continually or more famously translated “pray without ceasing.”

While it might seem obvious that this is a time to pray without ceasing, my personal experience and observation is that something more like numbness is the dominant state of being for many people just now. Surreal or shocking or numbing are the kinds of words that I have been hearing. Sadness is another feeling that is close to the surface as the numbers of lives lost, the people at risk and all the tragic repercussions at every level of human life seem to mount and complexify by the hour right in front of us. In short, our first priority seems to be to try and stabilize ourselves, to try and kind of grip on what we are facing. (NB: A gentle caution to be aware of those who might think that they have figured out what this is all about and begin explaining, arguing and criticizing too soon)

There are other more ongoing reasons for why ceaseless, ongoing prayer might not be our first instinct when we are facing so many other things.

First – prayer is a challenge anyways and it always has been. We see this quietly among the early Christians recorded in scripture. They need to be taught to how pray by Jesus. The Apostle Paul realizes that he needs to encourage his flock by reminding them when they don’t know how to pray that the Holy Spirit helps them to know how to pray. Prayer too is closely entwined with faith and when are faith is challenged, which it constantly is, prayer is not always our first instinct, although when we do pray instinctively it usually feels like the right thing to do.

Second - we sense that praying without ceasing cannot simply mean constantly coming up with things to say to God every minute of the day, and if that is what it means then most of us just don’t have the energy or insight or language for that kind of prayer at the best of times, never mind  in times of crisis and confusion.

For me there are at least three ways forward on this challenging and sometimes guilt -ridden reality for God’s people, finding our way to pray. 

Firstly, pray the Psalms. Find the expressions of your heart for all the occasions of your life in the world already prayed for you and ready to pray through you again in words even the most creative of us couldn’t come up with on our own. Realize that in these classic prayers of God’s people that you can find your true voice in the voices of those who have cried out to God long before you, with intense feeling and profound insight. What you will find is that your questions, your hopes, your laments, your fears, your weaknesses, your failures, your dreams and desires and your deepest sense of gratitude are all waiting there to help you when you don’t know how to pray.

Secondly, begin to realize that the reason we often run out of gas  and sometimes stop our praying is because prayer is fundamentally rooted in listening first and not in speaking first or speaking always. This seems quite clear in scripture and experience. Maybe this is all too obvious but all too many of us and some key Christian traditions have seemed to have forgotten this central reality in prayer and have not been clear and vigilant in teaching us this. This is likely why these days many Christians are looking and moving in the quieter contemplative direction in order to find their way into more authentic prayer.

Thirdly, in addition to the above two suggestions, I would to encourage you with what I will call the “short prayer” approach. It is an approach which blends listening and speaking at a very rudimentary but refreshing way. This practice began for me during a time when I had virtually stopped praying. One day I realized that the closest I came to being taken in prayer was when I was walking; something would release in me as  that didn’t take place when I was trying hard to pray on purpose and so as time went on I began to hang simple phrases of prayer out to Lord after walking in silence for 20 or 30 minutes. 

Here is what short prayer looks like for me and I find in times of trouble it helps me to keep moving even into the numbness or difficulty or complexity of things. 

I have been doing this for so long in addition to other expressions of prayer including silent listening, praying the Psalms, praying the Lord’s prayer, singing verses from hymns etc., repeating Taize like phrases as prayer. There is actually a lot of help for us when we find ourselves numbed in prayer.

Even though there are so glimpses or order and subtle transitions in what you see below, there are no rules about flow/order or content when I bring myself to prayer as I walk, and also now after many years even as I sit in the presence of God and pray. (NB: As of yet they haven’t outlawed short prayer driving)

Here are some of my examples of what this rough and rudimentary kind of short prayer can look like. The key thing really is that it is designed to be flexible and direct and personal without the burden to be poetic and perfect. It uses words very sparsely and helps us to practice the presence of God by listening as we sit or walk or fall asleep. It also encourages to bring the true expressions of our hearts into our prayers without a lot of clutter and background noise. This kind of prayer can move us along in our prayer conversation with God or it can equip us to focus on one person, concern or topic.

~

Help me to listen (pause for as long as you need)

Search me. (pause)

Speak to me in my deepest place. (keep walking )

Thank you (name a few things of gratitude)

There are many people / things on my heart (*you could name them)

I am restless

I feel a bit lost

I am lonely

I am depressed

Help me.

Hold me.

Guide me.

I’m sorry. (maybe name things)

Be patient with me.

Help me to change.

Strengthen my faith.

Be with them.(mention a name or some names or a family or community or group or organization)

Help me to be a good friend.

Unite me with loved ones who are far away.

Heal the sick.

Comfort those who grieve.

Encourage the hearts of caregivers everywhere.

Protect them.

Help them to rest.

Draw them closer.

Bless them (hold your hand out over a neighbour’s house or condo door as you walk by)

Give us the words to say or not.

Fill me with patience  (or name another particular fruit of the Spirit  ……. )

Give me eyes to see my neighbor 

Help me to see the poor 

Help me to see the lonely.

Help me to not just be content to see people

Help us to stay in our questions

Stay with us in our questions

Work unity into our hearts

Help us to receive surprises

Keep us from evil

Please keep loving the worl

Reveal yourself in ways we can sense and see

Make our leaders humble and wise 

Teach us what you want

Show your heart for the world 

Give us a way forward

You are worthy of our praise

Teach us how to pray

Be with me in my sleep