Prayer In Action

Last Saturday, Paula came to spend the day with me and in hindsight experienced answered prayer. For lunch we made fruit smoothies and were unknowingly guided by God who kept us safe from an unknown danger. Soon after Paula had left my brother found out on the news that there was a temporary problem with the water that started in the morning, requiring it to be boiled before drinking and emphasized that water filters without boiling were not sufficient. This had us covered for the cups of hot tea that we drank together made with filtered water, but we were vulnerable to the potential hazard of the water and ice machine as we set out to make the smoothies. We started out by adding a banana, a cup of frozen blackberries, a cup of frozen raspberries and some yogurt. At that time we deviated from the standard recipe by using skim milk and deciding to hold off to see if was necessary to use any ice since we already had two cups of frozen berries in the blender. When we blended it up our mixture it turned out to be on the thick side so instead of adding ice, I poured in more milk. After that we sat down and prayed and thanked God for the food and asked his blessing on it for our nourishment, unaware of how God had already blessed the preparation of the food to keep it free of tainted water. As a result of this experience I have become even more convinced of praying over the food before eating as God clearly both hears and responds to such prayers. If prayer does not seem practical in your current location, remember that God hears all prayers even short and silent prayers that are prayed in secret.

Praise like a child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
(Matthew 18:1-6 ESV)

This passage indirectly came to me earlier today during my morning prayers through another memory from long ago that was triggered about prayer. When I was in elementary school there was a TV show called America’s Funniest Home Videos which was very popular at the time and it seemed as if everyone watched it Sunday nights and was talking about it the next day at school. One week the winner of the $10,000 grand prize, which I believe went on to win the yearly $100,000 prize was of a little girl praying at what appeared to Thanksgiving. Her prayer of thanks started out with what one would expect of a little child by thanking God of their mommy, daddy and other family members. Although when she got to thanking God for the food instead of doing so like most adults would as “food” she went on to list what must have been everything on the table and what was going to be brought out for desert. And by everything I really mean everything as she did not stop with the food items but went on to include things like the table, chairs, plates, silverware, placemats and paper napkins. And the whole time you could hear the laughing of the studio audience at the little girl’s “crazy prayer” while I’m sure the family at the time was wondering if she was going to finish praying before Thanksgiving Dinner was lukewarm. Yet today when I remembered it I realized that that little girl probably understood or at least putting practice being able to see God for the many blessings in our lives and in turn praise God. While I did laugh about the memory today it was out of joy and astonishment at realizing how well she got what Jesus really values in people and harshly demands be protected. I have no idea what that little girl is doing today years later but I hope that she still has the same sense of wonder and praise toward God’s provisions as she did that Thanksgiving dinner.

praying what is beloved yet too often neglected

The Psalter is in word one of the most beloved books of the Bible but in practice is often one of the more neglected Biblical books. For the most part, the Psalms are never the focus of sermons as honestly most clergy do not know what to do with them in terms of preaching. So what is one to do with the Psalms? How about pray through them as it is done with the Daily Office or the Liturgy of the Hours. I’m sure the a good number of the Protestants reading this have never heard of the Daily Office before, as did I up until a year ago and have only made an attempt at keeping it for the past month so it deserves a bit of explanation.

The Daily Office or Liturgy of the Hours, is simply set times of prayer throughout the day much like is common today in Islam and Judaism. The core of the Liturgy of the Hours is reciting or praying through the Psalter at set times through the day. Under its earliest form which grew out of the monastic traditions one worked through the entire Psalter ever week at the hours of Matins (night), Lauds (dawn), Prime (6AM), Terce (9AM), Sext (Noon), None (3PM), Bespers (Evening when lamps are lit) and Compline (upon retiring). However, later on for practical purposes to allow those not living within monasteries to practice it the hours were revised to a monthly instead of weekly cycle with 3/4 major Hours, morning (Lauds), evening (Vespers), night (Compline) and the Office of Readings as a modification of Matins as a movable hour normally prayed during the day often combined with Lauds. Likewise Prime was dropped and the other “minor” hours if observed were reduced to reciting a single Bible verse or two. If that sounds too complicated why not check the Universalis to see it in print. The site is Roman Catholic but don’t let that scare any Protestants away as for the most part it is just praying through what is in the Bible. Still I’ll admit that it is a little weird at first to see various feast names used in passing that I’m not familiar with and very liberal use of the Gloria Patri.

Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

prayer as a priority

Prayer Rock instructions
I’m your little prayer rock.
This is what I’ll do,
Just put me on your pillow
’til the day is through.

Then turn back the cover
and climb into your bed,
and “whack” your little prayer rock
will hit you on your head.

Then you will remember
as the day is through
to kneel and say your prayers
as HE would want you to.

When you’re finished,
just dump me on the floor.
There I’ll stay throughout the night
to give you help once more.

When you get up next morning,
“clunk” I’ll stub your toe,
so you will remember your morning prayer
before you have to go.

Put me back upon your pillow
when your bed is made,
and your clever little prayer rock
will continue on your bed.

Because your Heavenly Father
cares and loves you so.
He wants your to remember
to talk to him, you know.

Hopefully, humorous and impractical are things that come to mind when you read the above poem which I first came across as a tag to a small rock covered in cloth years ago at Sunday School. Although after finding it online yesterday and reading it over for the first time in years I’m starting to wonder if there is something more to it. Sure one would have to be a fool to take the instructions literally but doesn’t the example even if its comical emphasis the importance of prayer if someone went through the time of coming up with the idea of such an off-the-wall solution to the problem of forgetting to pray regularly.