Practicing Prayer: Final Reflections
Friends, thanks for letting me process with you over these 21 days. This is a big part of how I learn. I don't presume to have uncovered a bunch of radical new ideas to you, that's never my intent as a teacher. I simply know that I myself need to be reminded daily of the value and truth of old treasure, and have long subscribed to the idea that the best way to learn how to do something is to teach it to someone. I trust that as you've waded with me through the storehouse of old truths you've long known, that it has continued its work of renewal in fresh ways. And if the Spirit has revealed new truth to you, love Him for it. To be honest, I continue to learn so much about our life in prayer that I could almost go back to the beginning...start again and still have so much more to say about how the Spirit is forming me, more scripture to get excited about, more understanding to share.
But you might need the necessary quiet to reflect on your own process. It's easy to keep filling our ears and minds with information and not stop to process and consider what we've learned and let the renewal of our inward person find a way to reform our outward person. I know this full well.
My heart in this devotional study was that we would spend these three weeks learning and knowing yes...but also much more in doing. That we would actually practice prayer, and in doing so, that we would grow, as disciples do, in intimacy with Jesus-that our experience would not exist in simply knowing him more, but in loving him with more of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
If you asked me, I'd tell you that my prayers have been transformed from text message prayers to long handwritten love letters. I didn't know that writing out my prayer was something I'd been missing, but now I do. There is more quiet space in my prayers; less talking and more focus. And surrendering my own words has not resulted in emptiness, as one might imagine. Rather, it has brought a life-giving sense of abundance to my life in prayer. Very often my words come straight from the Psalms...they tend to speak a better word. I spend more time in lament; leaning into the posture of “deliver us from evil,” which in turn reminds me that He has and that now He is my Father, I am His child...and the prayer begins again. I don't always "feel something," in prayer, but even in that there is a renewed recognition that My Father is unsearchable in greatness-that He cannot be manipulated and controlled by me or my feelings. And to let God be God in this way is simultaneously freeing and humbling.
I’m finding my way into the posture of prayer more easily, more naturally...and rather than a duty, it is beginning to feel more like love. Like simply being with Jesus. Renewed intimacy. It is changing me-I might not see it everyday but over the long haul I know I am being formed and little by little I can point to common graces of evidence.
Twenty-one days ago, we said our hope was that we would "see Him and seek Him and have Him and want Him."* If that is your story, I'd love to hear about it. You can contact me at septfamilyblog(at)gmail.com or message me on some other internet platform. But even more, I'd love it if you just lived it out-kept practicing prayer and finding intimacy with Jesus. If you gathered a group of your people and began to pray this way together and you saw the kingdom come in your community. If your marriages and families and children and workplaces were changed because you are one of those who has undoubtedly been with Jesus.** You don't even need to tell me about how you've been changed. Just tell someone.
So much love to you friend.
May the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Mighty King and Loving Father make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you...and give you peace.
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