Prayer and Action

Photo from "Love at the Heart of Things" by E. Glen Hinson

Devotional Classics, p. 90, Douglas Steere, Excerpts from Prayer and Worship

"Holy obedience to the insights, the concerns that come, that persist, and that are in accord with cooperation with God's way of love is not only the active side of prayer, but is the only adequate preparation for future prayer."

True prayer leads me into future prayer. It is not an isolated action that begins and ends like a question/answer session or a lecture. It is conversation.

I find that when my prayers merely become a search for answers, they become more like lists and less like a continuing correspondence. I do find lists very helpful, even when talking with people, since I forget things so easily, but they are usually just precursors or even some interferences that must be dealt with prior to having a real conversation with someone. If a list makes up most of my conversation with someone, I would not see that as an intimate relationship, but as one of a coworker or acquaintance.

It is not to say that prayer is merely conversation. Prayer must be woven into real life to be real, or it really is just words. The actions inspired by prayer and then taken make prayer and the relationship behind it real. If there is no co-mingling of life and prayer, "if we ignore these leadings, they poison future prayer." (p.90)

I remember a while ago that one of the most important things I wanted my kids to know about me was that I listened and cared about them, so I made it a practice to make sure that I did what I said I would do. I tried to make sure that I would not forget to do what I said I would do. When I say I will do something with or for my child and then I neglect to do it, I show I was not really listening or that I don't really care. Action is an integral part of real conversation and real trust. That is why Jesus assures us, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will opened to you." (Mt. 7:7) (Also, on the side, it may give a hint as to who the swine and dogs are in the verse prior to this one: times when people bring me concerns and questions and I do not respond helpfully or at all. May with just a "Be warmed and be filled. . . ")

Lord, I am overcome with the many words that I say without following them with real concern, care, or action. Help me to prune my words to be ones that I mean to perform and not merely say. Help me to say what I do and do what I say even (especially?) in the smallest things of life, so that I may be faithful to do them in the "bigger" things as well. Amen

I think that the practice I hope to continue and enlarge in my life is to "simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No', 'No.'" (Mt. 5:37) Also when I say something, especially in prayer, I want to pray and wait "to be established in the power that will enable [me] to carry out these leadings. 'I will wait for the strength to fulfill it.' Here in the silence as the power gathers, it is well to face the difficulty one will meet in carrying out this concern. . . . They need to be met and overcome in the silence." (p.90) Prayer becomes leading, leading becomes intention, intention becomes action, and action returns me to prayer.