An Unceasing Prayer

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

 Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²² abstain from every form of evil.

²³ May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  (NRSVUE)

 

Matthew 6: 7-13

⁷ “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be revered as holy.
¹⁰     May your kingdom come.
    May your will be done
        on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹     Give us today our daily bread.
¹²     And forgive us our debts,
        as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³     And do not bring us to the time of trial,
        but rescue us from the evil one.  (NRSVUE)

 

Lenten Practice

 For all the time and energy Christians spend talking about the importance of prayer, a good number of us are uncomfortable with praying ourselves.  Even in seminary, people asked to pray before a class or event begins worry about not "doing it right." It's as if they feel worried that God or those around them will judge them for not saying the right thing or putting on good enough of a performance.

Trying to prove you know the exact right thing to God is enough to make feel intimidated. Prayer, though, isn't a litmus test in which our eloquence proves the amount or maturity of our faith.  It is about maintaining an open and honest relationships with God--about communicating where we find ourselves falling short or in need of aid and trusting God enough to ask for assistance so that not only our lives but the entire world can reflect God's glory.  

In giving us the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught those of us who are worried about our prayer life to focus on a few things:

1. Give praise to God, because God is holy
2. Ask for God's heavenly kin-dom to be revealed among us by the way God's will is followed here and now.
   
3. Ask God to provide for our daily needs.
4. Ask God to forgive our mistakes and sins. 
5. Ask for God's help in resisting the temptation to do evil so that we may better follow his will.

 And why should we pray for all this?  Because God is the true ruler of the earth, there is nothing better than seeing the glory of God's Kin-dom revealed.

 When we realize just how much is packed into Jesus's seemingly simple, no-nonsense words, even the Lord's Prayer can feel overwhelming.  Are we really prepared to ask God to not just provide for us...but to also change ourselves and the world around until what happens here below matches what happens in heaven above?  Are we ready for the ways that God's response to that prayer may transform our lives, actions, and relationships?  Because, I'm telling you, there will be lot of changes in store for us.

If you--like many of us--find it difficult to pray without ceasing for all that is in the Lord's Prayer to come true, then you may need to start small.  One way of starting small is to using physical items like prayer beads to simply and repeatedly ask God to nurture a certain virtue or more Godly way of begin in your life. 

Depending on what aspect of our lives does not reflect Jesus's life as much as we would like, you may ask God to make  more joyful. More humble.  More Giving.  As we repeat that prayer a few times, we make room for us to reflect on how we fall short and what it is we are asking for.  That openness and honestly with not only Christ but also ourselves invite the Holy Spirit to begin transforming us into better reflections of Christ.   And that can lead to big changes in every aspect of our lives.

The kind of spiritual transformation I am talking about here doesn't occur all at once; it takes place over time.  That is why it is so important to metaphorically "pray without ceasing" by going back to God with our requests as often as we can so that change we long for can take root and grows.  

This week, I invite you to pick a fruit of the Spirit that you would like God to help you work on and commit to praying about it eat least once a day.  If you have access to a set of prayer beads, you can use the process below (which is one of many).  If you do not have a set of beads, you can complete the same process by choosing a set number of times to repeat your simple request and using something that you can hold in your hands and count each time you repeat.

A Ritual  for Using Prayer Beads

Begin by choosing of a fruit of the Spirit [love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control] that you would like to work on.  Spend a moment reflecting on how your life is in need of that fruit and how nurturing it might change the way you live.  Then pray as follows, placing the fruit you chose in the underlined portion:

 

 On the Cross: 

 In the name of the father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

 

On the First Bead:

Thank you, God, for your presence in my life.  Transform me into a better reflection of Jesus Christ so that, through his Spirit within me, I may do your will.

 

On the Subsequent Beads:

Christ, you are the source of all holiness.  Look upon my heart as I seek the fruits of your Spirit.  Grace me with the gift of your Love so that I, through the power of your Spirit, may Lovingly serve the Father and my siblings in you.

On Returning to the Cross:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever.  Amen.