(rocking chair waits in our chapel here at Ava)
Prayer reflection based on Romans 9:26-27:
"At times, human beings wrestle with the process of prayer because there is too much "I" and not enough "You." There is too much talking and not enough listening; too many demands and not enough surrender. In those moments, as St. Paul has reassured us, the Spirit comes to our aid, and with "inexpressible groanings" brings to birth in us the faithful, patient, trusting hope that is prayer. Believers are caught in the tension of being finite creatures with infinite desires and unimagined potential. We can rely on the Spirit to intercede with God on our behalf and in accord with the divine will.
Not only does the Spirit enourage believers to call upon God as Jesus did -- as "Abba," "Daddy," "Papa" (Romans 8:15) -- the Spirit can give eloquent expression to our desire to share in the very life of God. If your childhood spirituality was anything like mine, then you may have thought that God could be impressed by the multiplication of prayers. To that end, you may have (as I did) bombarded God with a series of rote prayers, rather than simply bending your ear and your spirit to the will of God. Fortunately, the Spirit, who comes to our aid, encourages in us simplicity and single-heartedness, allowing us to minimize the wordiness and emphasize the silent, patient waiting where God can act and dwell and be heard to speak.
Walter Burghardt was fond of calling for preaching and praying that issue forth from "fire in the belly." Similarly, Ralph Waldo Emerson insisted that the Spirit-filled preacher's sermon and the prayer-er's prayer be "rammed with life." By virtue of the indwelling Spirit, those who preach, as well as those who listen and pray, allow God's word to take hold of them. Within its holy grip, believers will be calmed and challenged, critiqued and encouraged, informed and inspired. But the gift of the Spirit is never solely for ourselves; it is a gift that must be paid forward in caring encouragement for and loving service to others."
(reflection on prayer based on Romans text is by Patricia Sanchez in Preaching Resources from July 17, 2011)
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