“Prayer is the ascent of the intellect to God...Prayer is the communion of the intellect with God.”
The Oscillating Nature of Prayer
Prayer is simple and must always be simple. It is a heart turn. For prayer to be prayer it must be widely available to anyone. It cannot be set aside for the most trained, the most gifted, the wisest, the most intelligent, the most financially successful, or the most down-trodden. It must be available to all people at all times. To Evagruis, the intellect was not so much your intelligence or thought process, it is the higher portion of yourself designed to commune with God. Communion is not contingent on how smart you are, it is all about the heart.
“Prayer is always possible for everyone, rich and poor, noble and humble, strong and weak, healthy and sick, righteous and sinful.” ~ Seraphim of Saroy
Prayer lifts the heart to God and every prayerful effort is to keep it there. We invite the Love to hold, cherish, and inspect inside of our lives. The scariest part about prayer is it begins to unravel what is within you. Most people think that by praying they are on a journey to see God, but really the journey begins with you. It is only as you see yourself authentically that you begin to see God. True prayer introduces you to yourself. And as we’ll see, the spiritual disciplines are helpful in increasing our capacity for prayer.
I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss The Effects of Silence.
Blessings,
Joshua Hoffert
PRAYERS
Here are a few short, helpful prayers. Choose one to help you keep your heart attuned to His presence today:
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on (be tender towards) me (Luke 18:13)
Make my heart, like Your heart (2 Corinthians 3:15-18)
Teach me Your ways, that I might know You (Exodus 33:13)
Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, restore my soul to life again (Psalm 23:1-3)
Let me delight in Your will and walk in Your ways (Psalm 40:8)
Ravish my heart, that mine may ravish Yours (Song of Solomon 4:9)