Are we guilty of the sin of prayerlessness? Does prayer seem hard? Should it? Christ won the privileges for us of open access to the Father. So why aren’t we possessed with a kind of wonder of it all? The exhortation to “Pray unceasingly” though coming from the lips of Paul, comes as an uncompromising standard from Mt. Sinai, that tells me what I ought to do, without giving me the power to do it.
I’m finding what draws me to my Father’s throne room has to do with perspective; perspective that has come to me a piece at a time from heaven. Lately I start by praying through the Lord’s prayer. That is, I take a petition at a time, and meditatively pray through it. So I begin with “our Father” – in which I’m struck how the prayer begins with intimacy. When I’ve contemplated the Father’s delight and love for me, the next petition “Who art in Heaven” – teaches me I’m in the process of leaving this world for a time. I call this a divinely ordained sanctified escapism. Another thought I recently received is the idea that prayer is feeding the New Spiritual life in me.
Consider What C.S. Lewis said:
“It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
I am struck with the phrase; “letting the other larger, stronger, quitter life come flowing in.” When I kneel before the bed and quite myself before the Father, this is what’s happening!!!! I’m allowing a door in my heart to be upon – and I contemplate the strength of Christ – the strength of heaven coming into me. My Father knows how much I need this.
In “If You Will Ask” by Oswald Chambers I came upon these words:
“When we are born from above, the life of the Son of God begins in us, and we can either starve that life or nourish it.” … Prayer nourishes the Life of God. Our Lord nourished the Life of God in Him by Prayer.”
As I was contemplating this, Matthew 25:35 popped into my head.
“for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;”
Now I realize this has a primary application in its context. But wondered if the life of Christ in me could say that? But maybe is sound more like ….
Matthew 25:42 - for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
When I take time in my “closet” prayer, I now realize I’m opening up my heart for manna from heaven to enter the Life of Christ in me. This is an amazing thought to me. Prayer has been removed from Mt. Sinai – with its terrible but true standard, and transformed Law into Grace.
