The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.…He is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:24-25, 27-29 Prayer is living with the … [Read more...] about Living in God’s Presence as Prayer

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me, I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7-8 We are invited to engage with God in ongoing conversation. Night and day we listen as God counsels and instructs us. Night and day we practice awareness of God’s loving, guiding presence. Night and day we … [Read more...] about Communing with God as Prayer

Awake my soul! awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the skies. Psalm 57:8-10 Prayer is awakening. We have a tendency to fall asleep spiritually. Too often we forget who we are and what life is about. We forget the deeper … [Read more...] about Awakening as Prayer

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life. Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a Saying “no” to false gods can, perhaps, be compared to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, taking the first steps of leaving their life of slavery in Egypt. They were now moving toward new freedom. … [Read more...] about Saying Yes to God as Prayer

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life. Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a Saying “no” to false gods can, perhaps, be compared to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, taking the first steps of leaving their life of slavery in Egypt. They were now moving toward new freedom. … [Read more...] about Saying Yes to God as Prayer

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it— the Lord is his name. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:2-3 Sometimes we turn prayer into something much smaller than it is. Sometimes we treat prayer as if it were the spiritual equivalent of throwing a penny into a wishing … [Read more...] about Making Conscious Contact with God as Prayer

Praise the LORD, O my soul;        all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, O my soul,        and forget not all his benefits-  who forgives all your sins        and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit        and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things        so that your youth is renewed like the … [Read more...] about Praising as Prayer

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:1, 5 Prayer is worship. But what is worship? And why does God need our worship? I think novelist Marilynne Robinson summarized well what is at the heart of worship: “God … [Read more...] about Worshipping as Prayer

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4 Those of us who have lived for years in places where the primary lights in … [Read more...] about Experiencing Awe as Prayer

But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Psalm 5:7 Sometimes when we open ourselves to God in prayer, we remember that we are in the presence of One who is mystery. We acknowledge with awe and wonder that all that God is—all of God’s love and goodness and beauty and power—is far beyond our capacity to know or comprehend. As … [Read more...] about Bowing as Prayer