"Lord, teach us to pray..."
Luke 11:1
I've been thinking about prayer lately. In today's Gospel the disciples of Jesus are thinking about it, too, it seems. They see Jesus going off to pray and they have a "I'll have what he's having" moment. My first memory of anything prayerful was, as a small kid, being taught my prayers. The Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be. I also was taught to add prayers for loved ones...I still remember the order and fashion, "Grandma Katie Rogers, Grandma Gainan..." Even though it wasn't formulated prayer, it was formulated. As I grow in faith, my prayer has become much more conversational. I talk to God. Sometimes when something funny happens and there's no one around to appreciate the humor, I share the chuckle with God. I've been known to wink at God, as if to say, "Did you catch that?" But as conversational and personal, even enjoyable, as my prayer life has become, I'm now realizing that anything I pray is a response to God reaching out to me first. I may think I am sitting down to pray and I'm the one beginning the conversation, but it is always God who has reached out first. God is constantly touching my heart. I occasionally respond. Another important aspect of prayer I am learning is Listening as prayer. More often than not, my most powerful prayer is just sitting still and listening. If prayer is conversational, then I need to take time to listen...I needn't be talking ALL the time! So, as we begin an autumn Wednesday, let's consider how we pray...Love, heidi
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