Prayer is a strange word isn’t it? We bandy it around as if everyone somehow know’s what it means and how to do it. But in reality most people feel they’re either getting it really wrong or that everyone else know’s some special secret they don’t. When you think about how foundational and essential prayer is to the christian life it’s astounding how little it’s really taught and embodied in our church communities.
It’s interesting that I saw this on IG today, and followed it here. I was just asking God last night, “what does it mean to PRAY to You” ? I mean the REAL definition. I try to pray all day. Mindfully, like you mentioned. Sometimes just whispering His name. Other times, simply looking up and saying “thank you”. I don’t always ask for things. Oftentimes I simply praise Him. Or cry out. I cry. A lot. Thank you for this. I anxiously await more.
I agree that prayer is much deeper than what many of us have made it. I am grateful to know that "praying ceaselessly" encompasses everything that I do in a day to reconnect me to the Father. The best way that I can describe it is almost like a tether. I may pull left, right, back and forth, but my true center always brings me back.
Grateful for the words of this community. Know that you are all in my prayers as I am constantly challenged in this process of becoming, as I hope you all are as well.
Thanks for posting this! I think my church community in the past often would have defined prayer as you said: A dialogue centred around praise, intercession, petition, repentance, and prophetic declarations. One of the main leaders and founders of our church often put a lot emphasis on the discipline of prayer as a daily habit, and praying in the spirit for hours in the early morning of the day (3am-6am) as a means to change your spiritual life, to have constant prophetic experiences, and to change the lives of others. While this wasn’t altogether bad, it often left me feeling exhausted all the time and ended out building in me more of a transactional way of relating to the Lord, rather than communal. If I did this, then I’d see results. It became more about what I could do to experience more or “win more battles in the spirit” than about constant communion with Him day or night. As a mom of three kids under the age of 5 at the time, I was often left feeling very guilty when I couldn’t fulfill that time quota of prayer with the Lord early in the mornings. Though I tried desperately for several years as well as weekly fasting, and ended out exhausting myself into some physical problems. Though that may not have been the intent of this leader, that’s what it resulted in for me.
My kids are now 8 and under, and I’m pregnant with twins! So my life as a mom has not changed. And I’ll be honest, our church has undergone a lot of change in the past couple years. We are a small community, and we have lost 30% of our people since Covid to many heart breaking situations. I grew up with this community, and I’ve been leading worship here for several years now.
But my definition of prayer and relating with the Lord feels like it is also undergoing a lot of change. Being a stay-at-home mom, I’ve found I have heart-connecting conversations with the Lord at the kitchen sink, or in the middle of the night holding a scared child than I have in my used-to-be perfect morning devotions. I believe spiritual disciplines are wonderful and necessary, but I feel my world is expanding to know Him in the every day differently than I did before. At least, I’m really hungry for it to. I’m many ways I feel as though there is much I’m deconstructing of what I thought I knew of the Lord, and rebuilding to understand how present and kind and close He is in the midst of everything— even grief and loss. I’m basically ag a place of looking for prayer to be a place of intimacy, not transaction.
I look forward to hearing more of what you have to say on this!
I recently read in 1 Thessalonians 5 where Paul says: ‘Make your life a prayer.’ It caught my attention and I’ve been thinking on it since; talking to God about the reality of what this means. It brought to life this possibility that prayer is not just conscious focused dialogue but can be woven into every moment of every day. I want to thank you for this blog post which has contributed to all that I am learning about prayer as God is revealing it to me through the wisdom of others and Himself why He truly longs for me to know about a life of prayer and how to practise it with freedom and joy!
What a beautiful and very biblical text. This is exactly what helps us to live "pray without ceasing". I never thought from that perspective for a long time in my Christian life, because the Brazilian church (I'm Brazilian) is still very tied up in some things. I started to think that God wants to be contemplated after reading texts from people outside Brazil. It's refreshing to know that even in silence I can be praying unceasingly in my daily life. Waiting for the next posts. Thank you, Strahan!
Absolutely loved this ! I Frequently read the mystics and to a lesser degree the desert fathers and mothers -and I was happy to learn of a Russian contemplative Saint !! Thank you for sharing your experience of deepening prayer through contemplation throughout every hour 🙏🏼
Last Sunday at church, a woman prayed over me, but when her heartfelt petitions ceased, and she simply started to breathe "Jesus", until we were both breathing deeply and rhythmically in unison, something within me shifted and moved. I took that breath of His Name with me, it's very Presence a Pillar, guiding and strengthening me in the wilderness of my week. Inhale. Jesus. Exhale. YHWH.
In the void of a hard season, the breath of His Name began forming a genesis within me. A balcony of beholding Him from which I could pause in prayer amidst the tedium and turmoil.
This really reminds me of Frank Laubach’s “game with minutes” idea of trying to fill all the minutes of your day with mindfulness of God. I recently read his short book “Letters by a Modern Mystic” and it really fleshes out this concept and definition of prayer. Great easy read for anyone interested!
It’s interesting that I saw this on IG today, and followed it here. I was just asking God last night, “what does it mean to PRAY to You” ? I mean the REAL definition. I try to pray all day. Mindfully, like you mentioned. Sometimes just whispering His name. Other times, simply looking up and saying “thank you”. I don’t always ask for things. Oftentimes I simply praise Him. Or cry out. I cry. A lot. Thank you for this. I anxiously await more.
I agree that prayer is much deeper than what many of us have made it. I am grateful to know that "praying ceaselessly" encompasses everything that I do in a day to reconnect me to the Father. The best way that I can describe it is almost like a tether. I may pull left, right, back and forth, but my true center always brings me back.
Grateful for the words of this community. Know that you are all in my prayers as I am constantly challenged in this process of becoming, as I hope you all are as well.
Grace and peace to you all!
Thanks for posting this! I think my church community in the past often would have defined prayer as you said: A dialogue centred around praise, intercession, petition, repentance, and prophetic declarations. One of the main leaders and founders of our church often put a lot emphasis on the discipline of prayer as a daily habit, and praying in the spirit for hours in the early morning of the day (3am-6am) as a means to change your spiritual life, to have constant prophetic experiences, and to change the lives of others. While this wasn’t altogether bad, it often left me feeling exhausted all the time and ended out building in me more of a transactional way of relating to the Lord, rather than communal. If I did this, then I’d see results. It became more about what I could do to experience more or “win more battles in the spirit” than about constant communion with Him day or night. As a mom of three kids under the age of 5 at the time, I was often left feeling very guilty when I couldn’t fulfill that time quota of prayer with the Lord early in the mornings. Though I tried desperately for several years as well as weekly fasting, and ended out exhausting myself into some physical problems. Though that may not have been the intent of this leader, that’s what it resulted in for me.
My kids are now 8 and under, and I’m pregnant with twins! So my life as a mom has not changed. And I’ll be honest, our church has undergone a lot of change in the past couple years. We are a small community, and we have lost 30% of our people since Covid to many heart breaking situations. I grew up with this community, and I’ve been leading worship here for several years now.
But my definition of prayer and relating with the Lord feels like it is also undergoing a lot of change. Being a stay-at-home mom, I’ve found I have heart-connecting conversations with the Lord at the kitchen sink, or in the middle of the night holding a scared child than I have in my used-to-be perfect morning devotions. I believe spiritual disciplines are wonderful and necessary, but I feel my world is expanding to know Him in the every day differently than I did before. At least, I’m really hungry for it to. I’m many ways I feel as though there is much I’m deconstructing of what I thought I knew of the Lord, and rebuilding to understand how present and kind and close He is in the midst of everything— even grief and loss. I’m basically ag a place of looking for prayer to be a place of intimacy, not transaction.
I look forward to hearing more of what you have to say on this!
I recently read in 1 Thessalonians 5 where Paul says: ‘Make your life a prayer.’ It caught my attention and I’ve been thinking on it since; talking to God about the reality of what this means. It brought to life this possibility that prayer is not just conscious focused dialogue but can be woven into every moment of every day. I want to thank you for this blog post which has contributed to all that I am learning about prayer as God is revealing it to me through the wisdom of others and Himself why He truly longs for me to know about a life of prayer and how to practise it with freedom and joy!
What a beautiful and very biblical text. This is exactly what helps us to live "pray without ceasing". I never thought from that perspective for a long time in my Christian life, because the Brazilian church (I'm Brazilian) is still very tied up in some things. I started to think that God wants to be contemplated after reading texts from people outside Brazil. It's refreshing to know that even in silence I can be praying unceasingly in my daily life. Waiting for the next posts. Thank you, Strahan!
-Gabriel
PS: sorry for my English.
This encouraged and challenged me today. I’m grateful for you and the wise insights the Lord has allowed you to share.
Beautiful ♥️
Love you brother! Rich post..can't wait for the next one!
Thank you. I love this word nepsis. I think God does it for us too.
Love this and interested in the coming newsletters. I have been wanting to incorporate silence and solitude in my days to help with my prayer life.
Absolutely loved this ! I Frequently read the mystics and to a lesser degree the desert fathers and mothers -and I was happy to learn of a Russian contemplative Saint !! Thank you for sharing your experience of deepening prayer through contemplation throughout every hour 🙏🏼
Last Sunday at church, a woman prayed over me, but when her heartfelt petitions ceased, and she simply started to breathe "Jesus", until we were both breathing deeply and rhythmically in unison, something within me shifted and moved. I took that breath of His Name with me, it's very Presence a Pillar, guiding and strengthening me in the wilderness of my week. Inhale. Jesus. Exhale. YHWH.
In the void of a hard season, the breath of His Name began forming a genesis within me. A balcony of beholding Him from which I could pause in prayer amidst the tedium and turmoil.
This really reminds me of Frank Laubach’s “game with minutes” idea of trying to fill all the minutes of your day with mindfulness of God. I recently read his short book “Letters by a Modern Mystic” and it really fleshes out this concept and definition of prayer. Great easy read for anyone interested!