So as I sifted through these thoughts and pondered on the possibility of praying without ceasing, I think I begin to see some light in the process. The three ways of praying with three ways of positioning ourselves in God open a way to a different kind of life. We pray to God, we set our will to God and we give our wishes to God. Now these sound like so many other prayer talks, but the other three ways have a newness to me that is worth exploring.
“Motion towards” – To me this implies the forward motion of our lives in primarily the physical world. This is our getting up and going to work and playing in the park and reading a good book and researching a beloved topic and pursuing the life we are called to live here on this earth. This is a part of praying without ceasing, living out our lives in a continual movement towards God in the life He has laid out before us, not written in stone but a life to be discovered in the simple and the complex aspects of life.
“Accession to” – This is the upward call of Christ to be ever mindful of the spiritual realities that permeate our time here on earth. To be aware of the majesty, the power, the overarching immensity of God, and the multidimensionality of God. This is a mindset, an orientation of our lives that acknowledges our finitude and dependence on a power greater than us. It is a wordless awareness that our lives are not ours, but bought at a great price in love.
“Nearness at” – This phrase made me think that a God that is intimate, near us, is so much more than a distant God of power and might. This aspect of praying without ceasing is the closeness of God through the Holy Spirit, connecting with us at the deepest level of our souls. It is an intersection that words do not easily define. It is the life of God within us, nourishing us, encouraging us, protecting us, holding us, it is those ongoing prayers that have no words yet speak in great volumes through our souls.
So, in my simple love of words, for me, I have found the possibility of praying with out ceasing, setting my life, orientating my mind and nestling my soul in a life devoted to serving the God we name as Lord.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The endless voice from within
“Pray Without Ceasing” I Thessalonians 5:17
This little phrase is key to a life lived in simple communion with God. For most of my Christian experience, I found it an impossible concept to consider a reality to be lived. I saw prayer as an active, usually verbal articulation of concerns, requests, etc. In recent months, I have sought to unpack what these words might mean and if they could be lived out.
I am not a trained theologian but I am passionate about words and the meanings within them, so with a Vines Bible Dictionary and a Strong’s Concordance, I search for indicators as to what these words might mean.
I found the word “pray” in this case to be the word proseuchomal. It means simply “to pray to God.” But upon further looking into the two parts of the word, I found some interesting results:
Pros – Has three ways of being used, “motion towards”, “accession to”, and “nearness at”.
Euchomal – Also has three ways, “to wish”, “to will”, and “to pray”.
The next two words, “without ceasing’ seem to be found in one word, adialeiptos. What is fascinating about this word is that it means, “that which is constantly recurring”. It specifically does not imply something that does not have interruption but rather it is referring to something that is ongoing and implies a regenerative experience.
This little phrase is key to a life lived in simple communion with God. For most of my Christian experience, I found it an impossible concept to consider a reality to be lived. I saw prayer as an active, usually verbal articulation of concerns, requests, etc. In recent months, I have sought to unpack what these words might mean and if they could be lived out.
I am not a trained theologian but I am passionate about words and the meanings within them, so with a Vines Bible Dictionary and a Strong’s Concordance, I search for indicators as to what these words might mean.
I found the word “pray” in this case to be the word proseuchomal. It means simply “to pray to God.” But upon further looking into the two parts of the word, I found some interesting results:
Pros – Has three ways of being used, “motion towards”, “accession to”, and “nearness at”.
Euchomal – Also has three ways, “to wish”, “to will”, and “to pray”.
The next two words, “without ceasing’ seem to be found in one word, adialeiptos. What is fascinating about this word is that it means, “that which is constantly recurring”. It specifically does not imply something that does not have interruption but rather it is referring to something that is ongoing and implies a regenerative experience.
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