A nestled soul

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.