Recent
publications suggest, "We
wear our busyness as a badge of courage".
An entire class of technology is dedicated to the furtherance of multitasking. We can talk on the phone, listen to music and eat as we drive! The challenge to get still catches us in mid-stream. Dare we stop to listen?
This year we will be using the gospel of Luke as the springboard for our imagination and learning. Luke is a book of stories and we will find some of our favorites here. One of the important themes of this gospel is prayer.
In all the great moments of His life, Luke shows us Jesus at prayer. Is this a clue to his effectiveness and power? Jesus prays at his baptism, (3:2); before his first collision with the Pharisee (5:16); before he chooses the 12 (6:12); before he talks with the disciples about who they think he is and before he discusses his death (9:18); at the transfiguration (9:29) and upon the cross. Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for Peter (22:32). You may want to get still and read each of these passages to see what you make of them. Imagine yourself as one of his followers observing Jesus. You will probably be surprised when the disciples say, "Teach us to pray!"
Read Luke 11:1-13. (To read in several translations always makes it more interesting.) First we find Luke's version of the familiar Lord's prayer. The Message offers this translation:
Father. Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from our selves and the Devil...
Is this an outline for our own prayer? And then Jesus tells a story. Look carefully at the story. Why do you think Jesus told it and why does Luke include it here? What does the story tell us about God? A friend? A parent? Always ready to listen?
Reflect on your own prayer life. What was your favorite childhood prayer? Can you remember something from your early experiences of getting still? How did you imagine God? Think about some of the prayer patterns through your life. Is it harder or easier as an adult? Is time a problem? What is your image of God now? Friend? Parent? Always ready to listen?
Recently at an F@W board meeting we were led in a guided imagery to our own place of quiet to be with Jesus and others. What a refreshing time it was! I wondered why I don't do this more often. Getting still is an option we all have, but I choose it too infrequently. How do you approach your own prayer time? Do you have a regular time and place? What books or materials do you use? A friend of mine said recently, After I light my candle and have my thirty minutes of meditation, no matter how I felt when I began I usually come away with a smile.
Jesus seems to take time apart during difficult transitions along with his regular times of prayer. I tend to try to handle all the problems involved with the change before I take time to get quiet. How do you handle the trauma of transition in your own life?
Connect verses 9 and 10 with a desire to learn to pray. This is not just a petition for the things and answers that we perceive we need. It is an invitation to actively seek Gods presence. As we enter into stillness can we imagine ourselves asking and seeking a deeper relationship with God and hearing God's promise to open this door? Plan to add more time for quiet and prayer to your life. Sometimes a new book can help. Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim has enriched my quiet time and stretched my imagination.
In silent prayer or the prayer of meditation, the pilgrim seeks to still the endless river of thoughts and so to find the center from which all thoughts arise.
Ask someone to keep you accountable. Keeping a journal is helpful as well. It's time to get still!