I think we've got it all wrong.
We hear the word "prayer" and we feel intimidated. We feel guilty, inadequate, caught in the crosshairs. We've got the sneaking suspicion there's something more we should be doing or feeling. We think of prayer as lofty and holy--and always feel like we're somehow falling short.
But the call of Jesus--"Come away with me" (Mark 6:31)--is not an invitation to guilt; it's an invitation to delight. To enjoy his company. To spend time with the One who loves us. When Jesus invites us to "come away" with him, it's not so that he can give us a lecture or a stern talking-to. It's so that we might be refreshed and renewed, and be reminded of the thrill of loving HIm.
(And get this, Lent journeyers: When Jesus invites the disciples to come away and get some rest and something to eat, he invites them to a "quiet place"--literally, the desert!)
My wife, Elissa, and I are soul-mates. We're best friends. We got married not because someone ordered us to, but because we wanted to spend our lives together. But what with the daily grind, the busy-ness, and the day-to-day preoccupations of making it through, our relationship can get brittle and dry. Although we usually know very well that we love each other, we're not always feeling it.
It always amazes me how very simple a cure there is for the relationship doldrums. It's not an injection, an indoctrination, or an intervention. It's simply this: spending time. If Elissa and I simply get away and spend a little time together, we unfailingly rediscover the joy of easy conversation between us. And pretty soon we're not irritating or even tolerating each other. We find ourselves deeply enjoying one another's company.
I'm pretty sure that's what prayer is all about. It's not complicated. It's merely a matter of setting apart some time, opening up our hearts, and conversing with God. We get reconnected. We speak our hearts to him. We listen, and invite God to speak His heart to us. And pretty soon we realize that we're in love all over again.
Prayer may be one of the desert disciplines of Lent. But it's also one of the daily disciplines of discipleship. It's a breathing in and out that's necessary to the Christian life. So Lent provides us with an excellent excuse to do what we should have been doing all along -- making time to spend with Jesus.
For many of us, it works best to spend intentional time with God early in the day. Not only is it simply a wise strategy to do important-but-not-urgent things early, before the day's obligations pick up momentum… It's also wonderful to reconnect with Jesus as a way of preparing to meet the day.
How about making a date with God today? Why not write it down in your DayPlanner, or enter it into your SmartPhone, or jot it down on a piece of paper? Set aside some time, and make sure nothing else intrudes on some time with God. Read a little Scripture, express your heart to Him, and be still in His presence. Allow him to love you.
This Lent, why not ask God to give you a brand new understanding of what prayer is all about? And as He does, you may just find yourself falling in love with Him all over again.
No comments:
Post a Comment