Praying our Way

Last week we began publishing the Daily Lectionary (available at http://www.pcusa.org/lectionary/) as a reminder of our focus on spiritual disciplines during the season of Lent. The discipline of daily Scripture reading provides an opportunity to experience God’s constant presence and influence in our lives.

Reading Scripture as a regular, daily routine invites God into our lives, but stops short of building a relationship. God’s ways may be revealed to us as we sip from the trough of God’s holy Word, but a relationship demands more than one-way communication. God relates to us, and we relate to God. We respond in a variety of ways, all of which may be described with one word: prayer.

Unfortunately, we tend to acknowledge only one form of prayer — the words we say to elicit God’s attention. Those words usually begin with a phrase like "Dear God," or "Heavenly Father," and end with "Amen." Then we consider the prayer to be complete and we go about our daily routine, or go to sleep, or whatever is next on our agenda.

The problem with this understanding of prayer is that it effectively closes the door on God. As Marjorie Thompson suggests, "our real task in prayer is to attune ourselves to the conversation already going on deep in our hearts. Then we may align our conscious intentions with the desire of God [already] being expressed at our core." (Soul Feast, p. 31)

The greatest obstacle to a meaningful life of prayer is our need to be in control. We want to define the beginning, end, and entire content of our prayers, relegating God to a secondary role. We talk; God listens; and we expect nothing more.

One discipline that can help us break the habit of one-way prayers is "praying the Psalms." The morning and evening Psalms in the Lenten Daily Lectionary are well suited for prayer. Try reading each Psalm slowly, then allow yourself to spend a few moments in silence. Let your thoughts be guided by the words of the Psalm, and wait for God. You may not be aware of an immediate response, but God will be with you in the silence.

Wishing you a prayerful Lent,

- Stu