I have always found praying difficult.
And at the same time I need it, I want it, I even crave for it.
The feeling of finding the presence of God, of being there with Him, of baring myself to Him.
So, why is it so difficult?
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| Psalms 88:2 - “Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry.” |
When I am praying I become the ADHD child from the jokes around the internet.
Dear God, I think I'm hungry, no I mean, Dear God, here I am before you, and I'm itching.
No, let's do it again.
Dear God, I come before you in silence, what is that noise?
NO!!!!
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| Nahum 1:7 - “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” |
Brother Lawrence says in the book The Practice of the Presence of God: Conversations and Letter of Brother Lawrence "That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD'S Presence, by continually conversing with Him".
When I first heard about the life as a prayer, I thought it was the most wonderful thing.
I started to pray that God would make my life a constant prayer to Him.
That in every moment I would be talking to Him.
No matter what I was doing, I would do it to Him, as a gift or a sacrifice.
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| “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them” - Elisabeth Elliot |
It has been a rough road sometimes, but at the same time it has been wonderful.
The possibility of conversing with God, no matter where you are, is amazing.
I once said to a catholic friend here that it doesn't matter where you are, you can always pray to God, even if you are in the bathroom.
At first she was quiet and I was afraid I had insulted her so much that she wouldn't talk to me anymore.
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| PSALM 23:6 “Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD's house forever.” |
Then she laughed a little, and said, that is such a protestant thing to say.
I think it is such a Christian thing to say.
But I know that there is more treasure to be found.
And I long to be even closer to God.
That is why this year I have been decided to try out Lectio Divina.
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“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
― Søren Kierkegaard |
According to
Wikipedia:
"In Christianity,
Lectio Divina (Latin for
divine reading) is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word
It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word.
Traditionally Lectio Divina has 4 separate steps:
read,
meditate,
pray and
contemplate. First a passage of Scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. This is followed by prayer and contemplation on the Word of God.
The focus of Lectio Divina is not a theological analysis of biblical passages but viewing them with Christ as the key to their meaning. For example, given Jesus' statement in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you" an analytical approach would focus on the reason for the statement during the Last Supper, the biblical context, etc. But in Lectio Divina rather than "dissecting peace", the practitioner "enters peace" and shares in the peace of Christ
. In Christian teachings, this form of meditative prayer leads to an increased knowledge of Christ.
The roots of Scriptural reflection and interpretation go back to Origen in the 3rd century, after whom St. Ambrose taught them to St. Augustine.
The monastic practice of Lectio Divina was first established in the 6th century by Saint Benedict and was then formalized as a 4 step process by the Carthusian monk, Guigo II, in the 12th century.
In the 20th century, the constitution
Dei Verbum of Pope Paul VI recommended Lectio Divina for the general public. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of Lectio Divina in the 21st century."
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“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
― Mother Teresa |
In Lectio Divina you read first a Bible verse.
Then you meditate on the meaning of the words you read.
After that you pray on what you just read.
And at last you contemplate on the verse and it's meaning.
This is my hear yearning, to understand the meaning of the word of God, learn it and hide it in my heart.
Maybe one day I will understand even a little bit of God also.
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“Give me the Love that leads the way
The Faith that nothing can dismay
The Hope no disappointments tire
The Passion that'll burn like fire
Let me not sink to be a clod
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God”
― Amy Carmichael |
