PRAYER

Hey! I hope everyone had a great week! I was very challenged by this reading, here are a few of my thoughts on it.  

Praying is not just a ritual or checklist item that we must complete every day at a certain time. Prayer connects our bodies and souls to Jesus! I really liked the emphasis that was put on the importance of “incessantly”, “vigilantly” and “attentively” seeking God through prayer. The “ineffable happiness” that flows into our souls when we are in communion with Jesus reminds me of the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” that is spoken of in Philippians 4:7.

One thing that really stood out to me was #1 of the scriptural endnotes, which included John 5:30. At the end of the verse, Jesus says “…for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me”. This strays slightly from the topic of prayer, but this part of the verse stayed in my mind and really made me think. A lot of the time, I find myself getting so caught up in seeking my own pleasure and “fun” in life and completely overlooking the real reason that I exist on this Earth—to bring glory to God and further His Kingdom. By surrendering my life and my desires to Him and taking up my cross daily, He will use me for His divine purpose. By living my life in a way that reflects the hope I have in Christ, He is pleased and glorified.

We experience, personally, the gift of God’s endless grace and unconditional love through prayer. How beautiful and UNDESERVED!!

I loved the “prayer as breathing the breath of Christ” analogy. “Every breath on my lips and beat of my heart is a breath and beat of hope that I would practice His presence and be caught up in the mystery of who He is and what He’s saying and doing.” I had to read this over a few times to actually take in what a magnificent challenge this is: to use the time I have been given here on Earth to take advantage of every second I have to glorify and connect with Jesus, the eternal creator and perfector of my soul. It is a challenge to use every second of my day for prayer and relationship with Christ, because that is why we were created! A verse that relates to this in the scriptural endnotes is John 15:4-5 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If we are not surrendered to, and in relationship with Jesus, we will not bear good fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.