{"id":2720,"date":"2023-06-20T07:41:58","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T11:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=2720"},"modified":"2023-06-20T07:41:58","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T11:41:58","slug":"praying-the-life-you-already-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/20\/praying-the-life-you-already-have\/","title":{"rendered":"Praying the Life You Already Have"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>.
\u00a0
Have you ever wanted to memorize a Bible verse?\u00a0
\u00a0
Looking for one that\u2019s short and easy to remember?
\u00a0
Try I Thessalonians 5:17. It\u2019s just two words:\u00a0 Pray continually.<\/em>\u00a0 That\u2019s it.\u00a0 As Dora the Explorer would declare enthusiastically, \u201cYou did it!\u201d
\u00a0
Now, if only it seemed even remotely possible to live out such a verse.
\u00a0
The average American watches more than four hours of television every day, but spends no more 10 minutes in focused prayer.\u00a0 That\u2019s a long way from \u201cpray continually.\u201d
\u00a0
Most of us are intimidated by so-called prayer warriors.\u00a0 Martin Luther, for instance, set aside his \u201cthree best hours\u201d every day for prayer, the three hours during which he could direct his greatest energy and focus to talking with God.\u00a0
\u00a0
John Wesley was relentless in his spiritual pursuits.\u00a0 He preached more than 40,000 sermons over the course of his 18th<\/sup> century ministry, traveled almost a quarter of a million miles on foot and on horseback, and was still preaching twice a day in his 80s.\u00a0 He wrote in his journal at age 86: \u201cLaziness is slowly creeping in.\u00a0 There is an increasing tendency to stay in bed after five-thirty in the morning.\u201d\u00a0
\u00a0
You know, when I read that what I really want to do is purchase Dairy Queen\u2019s Blizzard Flavor of the Month for June, and then take a really long nap.
\u00a0
What are we to make of the Bible\u2019s command to keep our eyes fixed on God and pray in every possible circumstance?\u00a0 How can we ever live such a life?\u00a0
\u00a0
The answer is actually rather straightforward.\u00a0 We take the life we already have and infuse it with a continual dialogue with God.\u00a0 We keep company with God no matter where we go, no matter what we do.\u00a0 Our goal becomes to live all of our moments in the joyful awareness of God\u2019s presence.\u00a0 We not only live <\/em>our life but we choose to pray <\/em>our life, one moment at a time.\u00a0
\u00a0
From the start, it\u2019s helpful to set aside the notion that \u201creal prayers\u201d require formal openings and closings.\u00a0 In his book Prayer<\/em>, Richard Foster writes, \u201cCountless people have such a \u2018stained-glass\u2019 image of prayer that they fail to recognize what they are experiencing as prayer and so condemn themselves for not praying.\u201d
\u00a0
In other words, \u201cpraying continually\u201d means transforming the running dialogue of our thoughts (which we are always experiencing no matter what) into a dialogue that we choose to share with God.
\u00a0
So what might this look like?\u00a0 Imagine the experience of stepping out of your house or apartment today.\u00a0
\u00a0
First you might offer a silent expression of thanks as you experience the warmth of the last day of spring:\u00a0 Lord, thanks that someone whose name I\u2019ll probably never know invented air conditioning! \u00a0<\/em>As you greet a friend you can be praying:\u00a0 Send your Spirit to join us during this conversation. \u00a0<\/em>If you encounter someone in the grocery who\u2019s wearing a worried look, pray secretly:\u00a0 God, encourage her today.\u00a0<\/em>
\u00a0
As you step back into the parking lot:\u00a0 Challenge me, Lord, to be generous with the car you\u2019ve entrusted to me, and the home I get to go home to.\u00a0 <\/em>If you see children playing outside:\u00a0 Keep them secure this summer, and may they know your love.\u00a0<\/em>
\u00a0
When that exceedingly difficult person suddenly comes to mind \u2013 the one who stabbed you in the heart a month ago, or a year ago, or 20 years ago \u2013 be honest. \u00a0God, I can\u2019t stand him.\u00a0 I know you know that.\u00a0 Keep softening my feelings, and somehow use those terrible memories for your glory<\/em>.\u00a0
\u00a0
If you find yourself wondering why God allows such difficult people to come into your life, you might hear him saying: \u00a0And exactly what<\/em> other kind of people are there?<\/em>\u00a0 He may even add, Don\u2019t worry, you can bet you\u2019re somebody else\u2019s \u201cdifficult person.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 We can be sure that if God is into emojis, this is where he would add a smiley face.\u00a0
\u00a0
And all day long, no matter what is happening or not happening, you can offer this prayer under your breath at any time:\u00a0 Father, I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re in charge of everything, so I don\u2019t have to be.<\/em>
\u00a0
In Brennan Manning\u2019s wonderful words:\u00a0 \u201cPray as you can, not as you can\u2019t.\u201d
\u00a0
We don\u2019t have to trade up for a different life to have regular conversation with God.
\u00a0
By God\u2019s grace, the life we already have can become the foundation for a conversation that never really ends.

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here.\u00a0Have you ever wanted to memorize a Bible verse?\u00a0\u00a0Looking for one that\u2019s short and easy to remember?\u00a0Try I Thessalonians 5:17. It\u2019s just two words:\u00a0 Pray continually.\u00a0 That\u2019s it.\u00a0 As Dora the Explorer would declare enthusiastically, \u201cYou did it!\u201d\u00a0Now, if only it seemed even remotely possible to live out such a verse.\u00a0The average… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2722,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2720\/revisions\/2722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}