Part Three: Prayer Practice
During my times in spiritual direction, my friend began to introduce me to these things called prayer practices, which was really just an unfamiliar way of saying daily-things-I-do-with-God-to-build-a-deeper-relationship-with-Him (which does not roll off the tongue quite as easily).
The craziest thing about many of the practices my director introduced me to is that I was already doing them! Remember how I would read a small part of my Bible or book while I waited for the caffeine to kick in? That’s called Lectio Divina. Or how I made myself think of things I was thankful for? Gratitude practice. Or laying all my fears and sadness in Jesus’ arms? The Palms Up, Palms Down exercise. And my Holy Fire? That was the extremely effective practice of Centering Prayer.
All these habits were practices God had already been using to connect with me in the five years prior to my very first session of spiritual direction! The first time my director described one of them, I thought, “Wow, what a coincidence. That sounds a lot like this one thing I’m already doing …” But after three or four of these “coincidences,” I knew something bigger was going on.
First off, I knew my “discovery” of ancient Christian practices wasn’t because of anything special about me. My only claim to fame is that I was both extremely desperate and stubborn. What it points to is the fact that there are perennial practices of being still and knowing that God is God.
My use of the word perennial is loaded with meaning--I”m a gardener. Here’s what is amazing about perennials: they come up EVERY spring regardless of how barren the soil appeared in the fall, regardless whether or not the gardener forgot what she planted, even regardless of how long the winter is. Once the sun warms that soil, the perennial starts pushing up through the soil into the light.
Perennial practices are the consistent ways that God connects with human beings in order to draw them closer to His love and redemption. They are also part of our heritage, centuries-old habit patterns developed by our spiritual grandmothers and grandfathers in the faith, based on the even older traditions of the saints in the Old and New Testaments. They are part of the rich tool kit we inherit as members of the Body of Christ, tools developed in the fires of our spiritual ancestors’ struggles and triumphs as they kept reaching out to the God they grew to love and trust more deeply.
These shoots, always pushing through the soil of our souls, are modeled to us throughout the Bible and were broken down into specific practices by the early church. They are our birthright gifts that keep us healthy and connected to God in the same way that regular physical exercise keeps us strong and healthy in our bodies. Just like in a physical race, in my spiritual journey, I have a training plan with multiple tools that create strength, endurance, hope, comfort, and joy for the distance ahead.
God is an incredibly practical, helpful, caring companion. If we make the commitment to connect with Him in a habitual way, then just like any loving relationship, the rewards of this dedication will be paid back a thousandfold.
Lastly, here’s a few more Christian leaders’ thoughts on prayer practices:
Eugene Peterson describes them as disciplines of attending to God
James Bryan Smith calls them soul care training
Ruth Hayley Barton names them as sacred rhythms
Adele Calhoun describes them as making space for God
I now give you the invitation I give to anyone with a longing to have a deeper relationship with God; anyone who is at their breaking point and is on the verge of giving up; anyone who is jaded or disenchanted with the Church community; anyone who wonders if “there is more to life than this?”:
Give God one week! Just try a prayer practice and sit with Him in quietude for at least 30 minutes every day for one week. Open your heart open to receive what He has for you. I promise, you will not regret it. It may even change everything.