Reaching
God? Like anyone else, you clicked
on this link to “Reaching God” because there
is something within you that would like to connect with
God in some way. It’s built into the fabric of who
you are. We are relational beings – born to live in
relationship with others. But we long for more than just
human relationships. We long to know and be known by God.
What is Prayer?
You believe in the
presence of God in your life and you’ve found yourself
praying. And what is prayer anyway?
This isn’t rocket science. Prayer
is trying to communicate with God.
Some people think that “prayer”
is talking AT God – telling God what they think about
how things should be. Some see prayer is being aware of
God’s presence in a way that allows them to express
what they feel and think to God. Some understand that prayer
is also about listening to what God might be saying back
in some ways. While listening to the exquisite soprano voice
soar above the rhythms of melodious altos, tenors and base
voices worship, you might hear God speaking to you. Whether
alone or with caring friends of your community, you could
perceive the presence of God while taking in the vast panoramic
sweep of the Grand Canyon or seeing the soft light filtering
down through the canopy of trees in a forest glen. Some
people assume that prayer is about being thankful.
There’s one thing that a lot of us
seem to forget, me included. We forget that if God actually
showed up in seven minutes from now, we’d probably
faint or immediately crumble to the floor in unrelenting
fear. I mean, get this, . . . you’re sitting with
a few friends having a chat in the kitchen and God suddenlly
appears, . . . right there, . . . at the same table around
which you’re all sitting. What would you say?
“Hi God. I almost forgot You’re
always here anyway, so it’s good You made Yourself
visible to remind me again. . . . Cool shirt? You make
that Yourself?
“Want a Pepsi? . . Say, . . . who’s
gonna’ win the Nick’s game tonight? And, uh,
would You pass me the remote? We wanna’ check in
on the soccer game in Brazil.”
Hardly. The scriptures tell us
that whenever God’s actual presence was made known
to people, they were terrified and had to be calmed. So
to start with, we’re afraid of the reality of the
actual presence of God. It’s too much for us to handle.
We want to meet God but not really, . . . because if God
REALLY SHOWED UP NOW, it might be so stunning that we’d
be reduced to silence.
We forget how awesome
it is to take the presence of God seriously, so most of
the time we find ourselves praying as if we’re sort
of leaving a message on God’s answering machine. ‘God
will listen to what I’m saying sometime in the future
but not in real time NOW.’ We say words, express feelings
and make some effort to communicate to what or to Whom we
assume God is. But we don’t do this anticipating that
as soon as we start talking, God will visibly materialize
before our eyes and verbally respond. (Remember the George
Burns movies “Oh God?”)
Yet we still pray.
Some pray with some regularity. Some pray
only when they are upset and at a physical emotional or
intellectual crossroad. We’ve also read passages which
describe how people in the Scriptures prayed. Jesus taught
us that when we’re stuck for something to get the
conversation going with God, we could try talking about
the basics:
‘Hi God; You made everything and
You’re like a Parent in Heaven to me so may Your
name always be holy. I hope Your kingdom becomes fulfilled
soon. I hope that everything You want will come about
in the heavens beyond and also right here where we’re
living.
As usual, I’m mindful of needing
things like food and other necessities in life but I’d
like You to forgive me for the things I’ve done
wrong. But in saying that, I realize I deserve to be forgiven
by You only to the same extent that I’ve been forgiving
of others for doing the same things.
Lead me away from temptations that would
hit me at the weakest points in my character. Keep me
away from what is evil. Because when all is said and done,
it’s all about Your reign and power and unspeakable
holiness that stands in eternity.’ (That’s a
paraphrase of the two versions of what we call “The
Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught.)
If you’re
new at trying to talk to God, where do you start?
It might be helpful to sit down, somewhere,
by yourself and in a quiet place.
Once you’re settled, start thinking
about how God is always with you. Tick off a few accomplishments
on God’s resume: Infinite, eternal, all powerful,
just and compassionate. Those skillsets were pulled out
of the family of God’s scrapbook through time (the
Bible). So wherever you go, there you are and God is with
you. But God won’t suddenly appear because God knows
you’d be scared. Just know that God is personally
with you, no matter where you are or what you’re doing
- regardless of who is around you.
What do you say
when you talk to God?
Anything you want, actually. How you feel.
What you think. What you want for others or for yourself.
Think about what God might want.
Maybe you can just listen. Your mind is
working all the time, so as soon as you sit still, you’ll
notice how fast your mind is racing. You’ll notice
that even in times of being silent and doing nothing, you’re
thinking of twenty-million things at once. In them all,
you’ll gradually notice several major themes emerging
in your thought process. Things you’ve thought of
before. Things for which you should be planning. Tasks you
haven’t yet done. Things you wish you hadn’t done. You will
undoubtedly be mindful of concerns you continue to have.
Try mentioning or directing these things
to God. Ask for clarity on the things that seem confusing.
Ask for wisdom in these matters. Ask for healing. Try just
listening to your inner Voice as you are mindful of all
these things swirling in and around you. You may begin to
hear an inner Voice of clarity. You may hear words of wisdom.
You may find healing. Whatever you find, you’ll be
experiencing it with God.
That’s a start.
But whether you have a regular practice
of meditation or time of prayer, whether while talking,
thinking, walking, working or just listening to life around
you and within you, you can pray anytime. You can be in
the midst of a group of caring people and be mindful of
God’s presence. Even in the act of working, talking
on the phone or traveling, you can do it with a sense of
being open to God’s presence in your life. “Pray
without ceasing” Paul put it one time. It’s about
mindfulness of God’s presence with you every minute you
live.
You may find help in reading some of the
links on the subject of prayer that will appear on this
website. Watch for links to come on the “Pathways
of Illumination” page. This will contain articles
written by several of us about times and ways in which we
’ve found the reality of the presence of God in our lives.
Wherever you are on your spiritual pathway,
know that we travel with you. Contact us at any time, .
. . the pastors, the members of this church. We have all
found God to be wonderfully present in life and our lives
have been changed forever.
Enjoy life because we all live in God’s
presence.
. . . Philip Siddons |
