This is the last week with prayer as the focus. I don’t mean I’m going to stop praying (in fact, in the last couple of days I’ve found another book with some helpful thoughts), but the book I’m following by Jo Swinney (God Hunting) does 4 weeks, then focuses on a different discipline.
Last week I had three goals, plus building on routines/habits from the previous weeks. I continue to say Night Prayer most nights which continues to be helpful. I continue to set aside time first thing in the morning to listen (and keep my journal near my bed to write down anything interesting). Sometimes I don’t get any specific ‘words’ from God, but it’s nice to start the day soaking in God’s presence, even if my mind occasionally starts to wander… Hey, I never said I was perfect!
Intentionally asking others what I can pray for to support them. This is an interesting thing to explore. It’s covered in Jo Swinney’s book, it’s covered in Max Lucado’s book, it’s a theme of Jesus in the bible. But I sometimes find praying “Dear God, bless Joe Bloggs, let him know your love and peace, Amen” a little generic. Sometimes it’s obvious how to pray for someone, but often there are things going on below the surface that we don’t see. And sometimes, just asking the question shows someone we are thinking of them. In asking some specific people, I have had some really good conversations this week. I didn’t feel able to ask everyone I pray for, but sometimes I don’t have that kind of relationship with them. Jesus says we should prayer for our friends and family, and we should also pray for the people we don’t like so much or we find difficult to deal with… Prayer is like a superpower we can use in secret!
Anyway, I did more asking this week and was richly blessed to hear some stories of what’s going on in the lives of some people I really care about but don’t talk to as much as I should. Note to self: touch base with people more! It has also made me feel better when praying for them, like I’m actually praying in a useful way not just going through the motions.
I feel I should clarify, I have a list of people I feel drawn to pray about (some for obvious reasons, others because I believe God has put them on my heart to pray for). I don’t manage to pray for all of them everyday, but I do pray for them on a regular basis, and again, there are seasons where more intense pray is appropriate. So, useful challenge, something to carry forward to make my prayer time more focussed.
Combine everything: yep, been trying to that. Didn’t always work! Realised I was being honest in prayer to a certain point but was still holding back in some areas. Journalling really helped with this one, and carving out some special time also helped. Found time to listen, found a good night time structure, found a way to pray for others more efficiently, found someone to pray with regularly… ah… yeah… Ok, that one still needs work. I’ve found some people I’d like to, but setting aside the time together hasn’t exactly worked regularly yet. Oh well, there’s always next week!
Max Lucado’s book, Before Amen. Finished it for the second time. Some new nuggets:
- There’s a fab exercise to alphabetise thanks – find something to be thankful for for every letter of the alphabet. It helps us to focus on the benefits and not the burdens which in turn helps us not to stay in a state of self-pity. (Being honest about struggles is important, but wallowing is not healthy for anyone)
- “Intercessory prayer isn’t rocket science. It acknowledges our inability and God’s ability”
- Praying in Jesus’ name is a declaration of truth. Jesus is in charge. That is why we pray.
- “You’re never without hope because you’re never without prayer”
Jo has included a quote from a 17th Century monk called Brother Laurence in her book, under a section on unceasing prayer. Brother Laurence compares unceasing prayer to ‘a wordless and secret conversation between the soul and God which no longer ends’. That’s a phrase that awakens a longing in my heart, something I will continue to aim for.
If you have been following on, I would recommend looking out Jo’s book (and Max’s book). But this week I discovered another book on different ways to pray. It’s a very practical book and takes into account how people find different things easier to engage with, have different gifts/personalities/experiences/backgrounds and I’ve enjoyed dipping into it. It’s called Be Live Pray by Becca Dean. If you’ve tried exploring prayer before and not got very far or would like a book with more practical ideas to share with others, try that one. (No, I don’t get any commissions, but good books are worth sharing!). And if in doubt, there’s a lot on prayer in the bible.
Anyway, it’s still lent, and I’m still hunting for a deeper relationship with God. Prayer is an essential basis (in my opinion) but the next chapter in Jo’s book happens to coincide with some advice a friend gave me this week on going deeper with God. The next discipline I will be exploring is fasting. I’ve experimented with prayer for years. I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to fasting.
Fasting is another biblical fundamental. When it is mentioned by Jesus, such as in Matthew 6, Jesus says “When you fast…” not “If you fast…” Today, it is less talked about especially when you think how much prayer is part of everyday conversation. Jo explains fasting really well, so I’ll pick out some phrases: There are things that we all do to comfort ourselves, address our anxiety, fill our silences, when it is God we should turn to in need. I am planning to make myself vulnerable by removing the props I usually rely on, and I hope I am able to lean more heavily on God and not just reach for new props.
Biblically, fasting is food, but today there are many things to fast (after all, Jesus didn’t have the option to give up games or phones or social media). My friend who gave me the advice said the most important thing is to find out what God wants you to fast. So my first challenge within the next 24 hours is to find out what God wants me to fast from, and for how long (4 different things for a week each, 1 thing for 4 weeks?) Good job I’ve spent 4 weeks getting better acquainted with God’s voice!
The major important thing with fasting is to use the time when you would be doing that thing to focus on drawing close to God. Fasting requires courage to be vulnerable as defenses are stripped back and self-discipline to push through when it feels too costly or uncomfortable. I am hoping it will be particularly rewarding.
NB: The bible says we shouldn’t make a big thing out of it when we fast, so I’m not going to be announcing to the people I live around that I am fasting. But in order to encourage others, I will still be reporting back here. As always, my aim is to encourage others to trust in and rely on God, and I hope the findings of a normal(ish) everyday person will show that God is not on an unreachable pedestal but is in fact walking with us everyday and engaging with our lives.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 