Into The Heart of Prayer

A Prayer for You To The God of Grace and Light

Above my kitchen sink hangs a small picture of a sunset over water.  It differs slightly from the  one above, as the sunbeam shines like the shape of a cross. A background phrase reads  ‘A Prayer For You To The God of Grace and Light’. The picture has graced my kitchen wall for many  years.

It serves as a reminder to pray in ordinary times (washing dishes?), to know God’s light shines on and in all of us, to know others pray for me and I for others, and to know that even when the language of prayer does not come easily, the Holy Spirit will intercede. 

Throughout the seasons, this one little picture has helped shed light on the meaning and purpose of prayer. In Rachel’s recent blog, she shared some valuable information on various means of offering prayer. In this country, most of us have the privilege of being able to pray in a variety of ways. To whatever extent we are comfortable and for whatever purpose we choose, there is a method available.

Yet, even amid our myriad of choices and prayer formats, three questions come to mind: 

            *   Basically, what is prayer?  

*   How does one living with severe challenges pray....challenges which stem from

     physical or mental barriers, and/or from persecution and restraint?

*   Is there a universal language for prayer which reaches beyond barriers? 

I suspect what lies behind these questions could help alleviate the hesitancies we sometimes hear when people utter, “I don’t know how to pray”, or ‘I feel inadequate or uncomfortable praying”.

To begin with, “What is prayer?”  

On the most basic level, prayer is nothing more and absolutely nothing less than our connection with and between the Sovereign God and our own divine spirit.  When we speak about a Holy  God, the Creator of all life, and of God’s spirit within us…..what is it that connects the two: that is, the Divine Spirit and our own divine spirit?  It is simply the breath of prayer. 

Prayer is the breath or conversation which connects the Holy Divine and our own divine, in  whatever form we are able to choose: whether in silence or in language. 

Reflecting back to the plaque above my kitchen sink which reads; 'A Prayer for You To The God of Grace and Light'. As I wash the dishes or prepare a meal, this simple prayer becomes another way  of saying; ‘God be with me today’ or ‘God hover over me’.  By uttering these words or thinking these thoughts, I am mindfully inviting God to enter into my spirit where God longs to reside. These words serve as a simple reminder, helping me be mindful of God’s presence through the day, in all circumstances, for myself and others, and to give thanks for all blessings.  

This is the heart of prayer. 

I can’t say that I always read this plaque, yet I try to in the morning while ‘putting up coffee’ (an old east coast phrase).  I invite you to read the above paragraph a few times as you breathe in and out, and soak in this basic essence of prayer.  All the rest, all those many wonderful ways we find to amplify and/or specify our spoken or unspoken prayers, are the forms and means we use to help us feel connected.

Recently I heard this simple prayer, ‘Hover over me Holy God and enter my spirit where you  already reside’.  I invite you to find and claim a few simple words to help you sense your spirit's connection with God’s.

In scriptures, we find the two central examples of prayer. Within the Lord’s Prayer, which we offer weekly in Worship, Jesus asks us to remain mindful of our connection with God and of  God’s love and longing for us. As our spirits abide with and in God’s spirit, the road to forgiveness, gratitude, peace, and strength for our journeys can become or remain clear.

The second example comes from the Book of Genesis (one of my favorites). During the creation of all life (forget the timeline), we read about God taking a Sabbath break to rest and to pray. God pray?  Yes!  How?  I would say mindfully, with gratitude for the beauty of all life that has come into being (including you and me).  God prays through the Breath of the Holy Spirit with the intention of a relationship with us.  

Here between Genesis and the Lord’s Prayer, we are given the two basic elements of prayer which connects our own spirit to God’s Holy Spirit.

*    How does one living with severe challenges pray? 

The answer to this may seem more complex considering the myriad of challenges people face and live in. Yet, if we believe each human being possesses a spirit, we can also believe God’s Spirit abides in each and every being, even where the expression of prayer appears limited or nonexistent. Scripture tells us the Holy Spirit will intercede for us where we are unable. The language of the spirit will always reach beyond the everyday language you and I use to communicate.                          

This is where Faith and Prayer reside together.

*   Is there a universal language for prayer which reaches beyond barriers?  

Not so  complex. The language of God’s Spirit breathes through all languages whether it be English, Norwegian, Hmong. Hebrew, Arabic, Sign, Mute, and so on.  Just as you and I pray in  language, hymns, silence, labyrinths, or by whatever means we choose…..our spirit’s connection with the Holy takes place within the breath of our life in God and God’s life in us.  Again, this is prayer and this is faith!

I would encourage you this week, no matter how you define your prayer life, to start and end your  days with a simple phrase which reminds you that you are connected to God’s Spirit and God is connected to yours. Your prayer will be heard in any language spoken or silent. 

A Prayer for You To The God of Grace and Light!

Shalom,

Susan