With prayer, one can go on cheerfully and even happily, while without prayer, how grim is the journey. Prayer is as necessary to life as breathing. It is drink and food.
Day, Dorothy. The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus (Plough Spiritual Guides: Backpack Classics) (p. 40). Plough Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
Prayer isn’t like sit ups.
It’s not a thing.
It’s not a thing you do to get some other thing.
Prayer is knowing Someone is there
who loves you,
who would die to be with you,
who hears and understands,
who knows exactly who you are,
who you are meant to be,
who will take you there no matter what,
who will never leave you or forsake you.
Prayer is staying close to that Person as if your life and hope and happiness depended on it.
That Person, for me, is Jesus.
If you like, he will be that Person for you, too.
- How does the quote from Dorothy Day strike you? How is your experience compared to hers?
- Do you view prayer as a ‘spiritual exercise’, like sit ups? If so, what do you seek to gain by such exercise? Do you find it helpful?
- How does my reflection on prayer strike you? What seems true or helpful? What seems far-fetched or missing?
- I encourage you to take time to write out your thoughts, to share them in the comments below if you like, or to share them with someone close to you.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
Copyright © 2020, becomingflame.com
becoming flame 
2 replies on “With prayer”
There is no doubt when my prayer life is good, so is my relationship with the Lord. Yet, even though I know this, even though I’ve experienced the peace that comes from that relationship, sometimes I let my prayer life wither. Then, in time of crisis or doubt, I tend to it and it strengthens and becomes vibrant again.
My relationship with the Lord is often one sided and, as with any relationship, it suffers when I’m not doing my part. That’s not the Lord’s fault. He hasn’t wandered from me, I’ve wandered from him. Even so, he welcomes me back to the fold with open arms–and thankfully, I keep coming back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes I’ve found about all I can do is repeat very simple prayers like “Jesus, I belong to you” or “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner”; there are times when that is all I can muster. Like you say, he is always there welcoming me home.
LikeLiked by 1 person