"Lord, Teach Us To Pray" ~ Here I Am

For the next forty (it’s a biblical number!) Wednesdays of so, I will offer a weekly suggestion on prayer and the spiritual life. As I said last week at the start, this reflection is just as important for the writer as it is for reader. Hopefully, by the end of the year, you and I will be journeying more deeply into the spiritual life together.

Have you ever heard of the “Here I Am” Prayer?

Neither did I until I was reading Teresa Blythe’s 50 Ways To Pray: Practices From Many Traditions and Times. The “Here I Am” prayer is for beginners with the intention of being in the here and now with God. Blythe adapted her exercise from Anthony Bloom’s book Beginning to Pray. A Russian Orthodox Archbishop, Bloom wrote his classic thesis on prayer in the early 70’s. The Archbishop suggested that this prayer was so short and simple that it could be used as a prelude to other prayer practices.

Blythe suggests the following steps:

• Resolve to be in prayer for at least five minutes. Do not answer the phone or allow yourself to be distracted from your goal.
• Be seated and say to yourself: “Here I am seated, doing nothing. I will do nothing for five minutes” (or longer depending on the time you set for yourself).
• Begin by noticing your own bodily presence – how does your body feel next to the chair; how do your feet feel against the floor. Relax your body and notice how you feel inside.
• Now notice the presence of all that is around you. Say to yourself, “Here I am in the presence of the room (garden, chapel, wherever you are).” Be aware of the furniture, walls, and any pets or people in the room. Just be present and silent in your environment. Relax even more.
• Now say to yourself: “Here I am in the presence of God.” Repeat silently to God: “Here I am.” Bask in the presence of the Holy One until your time goal has been achieved. (50 Ways To Pray, page 31-32)

I practiced this prayer the other day at the airport waiting to board my plane. At first, it was difficult because of all of the noise of passengers and overhead announcements. But finally, it happened as I kept saying with intention: “Here I am in the presence of God.” For five minutes or so, in the midst of the chaos of the airport, a tremendous calm came over me and I felt the presence of the divine. It certainly made the flight home less stressful. May you find in this simple exercise the peace that passes all understanding.

Love One Another - Brian

Deeds That Bring the Greatest Joy

Leo Tolstoy

"Though it is possible to utter words only with the intention to fulfill the will of God, it is very difficult not to think about the impression which they will produce on men and not to form them accordingly. But deeds you can do quite unknown to men, only for God. And such deeds are the greatest joy that a man can experience."

Source: Voice and Verse, Sojourners

Matthew 16:1-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ Then he left them and went away. When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ They said to one another, ‘It is because we have brought no bread.’ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, ‘You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!’ Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.