Not long ago I was going through my shelves of journals I’ve recorded over the years. And tucked away, squeezed to the back was the tiny three-ring binder with prayer lists I kept up with and that guided my prayer time. I recall coming up with all kinds of systems to help me remember all the needs that I knew of, and ways to arrange them all into days of the week so I could effectively pray for all of them.
As I flipped through the pages, I noticed that I had put checkmarks beside the ones I knew that had been answered. And although I’m sure it was encouraging and helped to grow my faith to do this at the time, I now see how restrictive that way of praying was - for me. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that at that point in my life, this way of praying must have been meaningful.
Certainly, intercessory prayer is an important practice. But it is just one of many, many other sacred paths that lead us into the Father’s heart. And, looking back at my journey, I realize that practicing that one approach to communion with God left me enslaved to a checklist that really, honestly, did not seem very life-giving. I can admit that now, but at the time and in the circle of spirituality that I was a part of, it would have seemed heretical.
Over the past few years, the Holy Spirit has opened up to me a whole beautiful garden of prayer practices that have brought me more intimacy and a truer sense of what prayer really is, along with growing wonder at the mystery of it all!
Yesterday, as part of my Sabbath-keeping, I selected two practices from the large notebook of teaching I have collected over the past two years and entered into a time of prayerfully reading the scriptures and reflecting on them in the presence of God. It felt as if I had spent time at a peaceful and lovely retreat center, and my heart was at rest. At the same time, I learned something about myself that I will be holding out to the Father for understanding and healing during this week and in days to come. I got fresh insight as to how to pray for certain individuals and situations that the Spirit brought to mind. And I was inspired to draw a picture of an image he gave to me that enhanced my understanding of what holds us back from being our truest selves.
I long to share these with others, so that we can grow and change together! I so enjoy time with just the Trinity, but I crave community with whom we journey together!
I am grateful for the pathways in which God is leading me in prayerful encounters. Making and checking off lists is helpful for many areas of life, but a list just doesn’t invite me the way an unexplored path does.
Over the next eight months, I am planning a series of classes that I am calling “Sacred Prayer Paths” and four prayer workshops. The first class has already been done, and the next workshop is coming up on Saturday, July 25, and is called “Creative Prayer Prompt Journal.” I so enjoy incorporating visuals into prayer time. This will be fun and creative as well as providing a beautiful pocket-journal for prayer prompts you may develop on your own or as you participate in upcoming classes.
Find out more here: https://safeharbornc.org/on-purpose-class-schedule/