Do you have a special place where you pray? Some people pray in the car, with Jesus in the passenger seat. Others pray as they walk in nature. Some pray in churches (imagine!). Many people pray on the run, or as need or occasion arises.
All of these are good and valid ways to communicate with God. If we want to hear what God has to say to us, though, we can incorporate the kind of prayer that builds up our relationship with God. The gospels show us that Jesus often went apart to pray, and spent time in prayer. His disciples observed this pattern and were intrigued.
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’
No relationship can grow without both parties devoting time to conversation. When we’ve made a new friend, or become enamored of someone, we find ourselves naturally wanting to communicate. That impulse can weaken as familiarity grows, so we need to be proactive and intentional about it. If we want to strengthen our connection with the God who made the universe, who knows and loves us more than we can imagine, we will need to show up for the conversation God is always ready to have with us. Yes, it requires more from us, because, unlike God, our time is finite and we can only effectively focus on one person at a time.
Designating a time and especially a place for quiet, listening prayer is key to deepening our connection with the divine. What time of day are you least likely to be distracted? Is there a place in your home, a chair, a window, where you can truly relax and go into “spirit-mode?” What you do when you get there can vary – some people meditate, or chew on a passage of Scripture, or read Morning Prayer. You might read Water Daily and find make your own way into Sunday’s gospel reading.
Becoming quiet before God is a way to remind ourselves of the personal, familial relationship between us and God. That's where we start, Jesus says, naming God as our Father/ Mother/Source of being. God is not a corporate boss, a Santa with gifts, an accountant checking a balance sheet, or a judge weighing our merits. God is loving parent.
And God is holy, which is what “hallowed” means. As loving and intimate as God may be, God is not the same as us. God is wholly other, completely good, Pure Love in whom there is no fault or dilution. That affects how we pray too.
Re-setting ourselves in that primal relationship, we may just trust enough to pray “Your kingdom come.” This means not only ‘Let the end of the world come soon,’ though it has meant that to some. It means, “Let God-Life break into this world, into my life, into my heart right now, today, and every day.” If we were conscious of the power we were invoking when we pray those words, this world would be changed.
Let’s see what happens when we start really meaning it. It is the most radical prayer we can utter – and we’re invited to enter it every day.
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