Praying because we can't help it
The 'soul stretch' of spontaneous prayer
Every so often while running I burst into begging or thanking.
Thank you for this life, thank you for my children, thank you for my husband, for my mother…please protect my children.
It feels like for a second I can suddenly see my life accurately, and the words seem to come out on their own.
What would I do with those entreaties, those expressions of gratitude if I lived in a different time and place?
Edith Zimmerman
We’re building the Trexo exercises in four ‘zones’:
Stretching
Strength
Endurance
Teamwork
… with an overlay of Discernment.
Our last four posts have been about Prayer - which falls under the ‘stretching’ zone - because prayer is the most basic spiritual activity.
It is the primary language of faith.
And it is stretching because it often moves us out of our comfort zone.
Prayer was foundational for the early Christian community:
The disciples relied on constant prayer as they formed the first church.
The early church encouraged members to pray at regular times throughout the day.
But often prayer seems mysterious or complicated to us. We’re not sure we’re ‘doing it right’.
Prayer - like language itself - is something that comes from within us naturally.
Have you ever noticed how children pray without prompting?
Personally, I talked with God all the time as a child. And God talked back!
What’s extraordinary about this is that it’s not so extraordinary.
We are made in God’s image.
Our conversations with God are primarily a response.
Many of us - even those of us who struggling with whether we ‘know how’ to pray - have experienced moments where we cry out to God.
’Oh, God!’ we say when we’re surprised or shocked.
’Thank God!’ when we’re relieved or grateful.
These are not just expressions of our own thoughts and feelings.
They are a spontaneous acknowledgment of the intimate, organic relationship between ourselves and our Creator and Redeemer.
Here’s what makes it a stretch:
It can be hard to believe that there’s a direct line between us and God.
We may never have consciously discovered this prayer ‘muscle’ before, and may never have used it.
We don’t know how to start.
Once we experience spontaneous prayer, it can feel scary!
We’re experiencing the power of the living God in our lives.
So here’s your exercise this week:
Catch yourself in spontaneous prayer.
Notice those moments when you are responding - to beauty, wonder, daily miracles and love.
What is your heart saying?
This is your prayer. This is your answer to God’s calling.
I think that a big part of prayer is staying connected with God in all things (not easy) and seeing God in all people and living creatures. It’s staying in the flow of the Spirit as much as possible. That is when prayer is spontaneous for me, when I am experiencing God.