SEPTEMBER 2018
"The paradox of prayer is that we have to learn how to pray while we can only receive [prayer] as a gift." (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life)
The Paradox of Prayer
Saints and spiritual guides remind us that the discipline of prayer is essential in our journey toward the heart of God. These same spiritual leaders, however, tell us that prayer is a gift from God. They say we aren’t praying by ourselves because God’s Spirit prays with us and in us. Nouwen reflects, “The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift.”
We here at The Upper Room have joined in the tradition of spiritual leaders throughout the ages in teaching people how to pray. We can teach “how to pray” in a myriad of ways. But, the scripture says, “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but … [the] Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26, NRSV).
This is good news for those of us who, at our most vulnerable times, often forget to pray. What a relief to know the Spirit is praying for us, praying with our unconscious breaths, “with sighs too deep for words.”
Resources
“Can you teach me to pray?"
“I want to begin a discipline of prayer. Can you help?”
When we ask questions like these, we are seekers feeling the hunger of the heart. We wait with expectancy to be told where bread can be found.
Hunger of the Heart
A common problem people share about their spiritual journey is that they have asked for help and instead have found fellow seekers who do not know where the bread is. One person stated in a letter to me, “I have asked so many people to teach me about prayer. Some passed over the question altogether. Some told me it was not in the year’s programming. Some gave me books to read. But no one said, ‘Let me share with you how I pray.’ I began to wonder if any of them did pray.”
Being Prayer
Most of us grew up saying prayers, reading prayers, or listening to others praying. Few of us were challenged to be prayer. There is a difference between a person who says prayers and a prayerful person. It is the difference between something we do and someone we are.
Do you know someone who is a prayer? He or she is probably someone who views life in a different way than most—someone who seems to have found a way to be aware of God’s presence in an ongoing way.
We are called as Christian people to be present in each moment in order to experience that God’s time and our time have intersected. We are called to practice the presence of God. It is this for which our hearts yearn.
Unceasing Prayer
A simple way of becoming more aware of God’s presence that many people have found helpful is known as the breath prayer. It is a simple prayer of praise and petition, six to eight syllables in length. It derives its name from the Hebrew word ruach, which can mean wind, breath, and spirit. We pray “in the spirit.” And as a fourteenth century writer on prayer states, we should “have memory of God in place of breath” [E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer (trans.) Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart (London, Boston: Faber & Faber, 1951), p. 85].
Our prayer should be as natural as our breath. Just as our breathing is an ongoing experience, so can our prayer be ongoing. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says that we are to “pray all the time, asking for what [we] need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion” (JB). To pray “without ceasing,” “on every possible occasion” means that we are to be aware of what God has done and is doing for us. We can ask for what we need, and we can praise.
Your Breath Prayer
What do you normally call God? How do you address God in your prayer? This is a form of praise. In calling upon the name of the Lord we declare the greatness of God and the nature of our relationship with God. Creator, Lord, Jesus, Shepherd, Spirit—each expresses a different relationship.
If God were right in front of you, calling you by name and asking you, “What do you want?” what would you say? Would you ask for peace? For joy? To feel God’s love? To see the light? Take a moment and reflect. What would you say?
Then join the name you call God and your response to God's question. It may be a short prayer such as “Jesus, let me feel your Spirit, lead me in your light!” “Creator, let me feel your love!” This is your breath prayer.
Living Prayer
Begin to say your breath prayer. Say it as much as possible throughout the day. Keep it at a slow pace. Some people say their breath prayer while jogging, swimming, exercising. Some people say their breath prayer while doing dishes, driving in the car, walking down the street. Say it while getting dressed, going to sleep. Say it when you find yourself becoming impatient or upset, while at a stoplight, while waiting in line.
Hesychius, an early fifth century preacher and teacher, wrote to a friend that “ceaseless prayer keeps our mental air free from the dark clouds ... and when the air of the heart is pure, there is nothing to prevent the divine light of Jesus shining in it” [Heyschius of Jerusalem in Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, p. 15.].
From Weavings, September/October 1986. Copyright © 1986 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
RELATED RESOURCES:
Prayer
Personalizing Scripture
Praying for the World
Giving as Prayer
From A Simple Way to Pray by Ron DelBene in Weavings, September/October 1986. Copyright © 1986 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
In his book, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Henri Nouwen invites us to begin, or begin again, to connect with the spiritual life by following three steps that assist us in identifying the prayer of our hearts. Nouwen invites all believers to consider three movements which help us both attend to the God-shaped hole inside of us, and also to tune into the prayers of the Spirit on our behalf:
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Home > Small-Group Studies > Companions in Christ
The Way of Transforming Discipleship Leader's Guide is also available.
Are you becoming the person God wants you to be? Discover a way to authentic Christian spirituality through this 6-week study. By shining the light of God's Word into the darkness of our lives, Hudson will lead you to a pathway of discovery and growth. Explore the markers of the journey:
A group experience of this resource consists of a preparatory meeting, 5 weekly sessions, and a closing retreat. The Way of Transforming Discipleship is appropriate for any group that has completed the Companions in Christ 28-week foundational resource, or it may also be used as an introduction to this powerful program.
The Paradox of Prayer
Saints and spiritual guides remind us that the discipline of prayer is essential in our journey toward the heart of God. These same spiritual leaders, however, tell us that prayer is a gift from God. They say we aren’t praying by ourselves because God’s Spirit prays with us and in us. Nouwen reflects, “The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift.”
We here at The Upper Room have joined in the tradition of spiritual leaders throughout the ages in teaching people how to pray. We can teach “how to pray” in a myriad of ways. But, the scripture says, “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but … [the] Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26, NRSV).
This is good news for those of us who, at our most vulnerable times, often forget to pray. What a relief to know the Spirit is praying for us, praying with our unconscious breaths, “with sighs too deep for words.”
Spiritual Exercise • Breath Prayer
“A simple way of becoming more aware of God’s presence that many people have found helpful is known as the breath prayer. It is a simple prayer of praise and petition, six to eight syllables in length… Our prayer should be as natural as our breath. Just as our breathing is an ongoing experience, so can our prayer be ongoing. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says that we are to “pray all the time, asking for what [we] need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion” (JB). To pray “without ceasing,” “on every possible occasion” means that we are to be aware of what God has done and is doing for us. Read more
A Simple Way to Pray by Ron DelBene
“I want to begin a discipline of prayer. Can you help?”
When we ask questions like these, we are seekers feeling the hunger of the heart. We wait with expectancy to be told where bread can be found.
Hunger of the Heart
A common problem people share about their spiritual journey is that they have asked for help and instead have found fellow seekers who do not know where the bread is. One person stated in a letter to me, “I have asked so many people to teach me about prayer. Some passed over the question altogether. Some told me it was not in the year’s programming. Some gave me books to read. But no one said, ‘Let me share with you how I pray.’ I began to wonder if any of them did pray.”
Being Prayer
Most of us grew up saying prayers, reading prayers, or listening to others praying. Few of us were challenged to be prayer. There is a difference between a person who says prayers and a prayerful person. It is the difference between something we do and someone we are.
Do you know someone who is a prayer? He or she is probably someone who views life in a different way than most—someone who seems to have found a way to be aware of God’s presence in an ongoing way.
We are called as Christian people to be present in each moment in order to experience that God’s time and our time have intersected. We are called to practice the presence of God. It is this for which our hearts yearn.
Unceasing Prayer
A simple way of becoming more aware of God’s presence that many people have found helpful is known as the breath prayer. It is a simple prayer of praise and petition, six to eight syllables in length. It derives its name from the Hebrew word ruach, which can mean wind, breath, and spirit. We pray “in the spirit.” And as a fourteenth century writer on prayer states, we should “have memory of God in place of breath” [E. Kadloubovsky and G.E.H. Palmer (trans.) Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart (London, Boston: Faber & Faber, 1951), p. 85].
Our prayer should be as natural as our breath. Just as our breathing is an ongoing experience, so can our prayer be ongoing. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says that we are to “pray all the time, asking for what [we] need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion” (JB). To pray “without ceasing,” “on every possible occasion” means that we are to be aware of what God has done and is doing for us. We can ask for what we need, and we can praise.
Your Breath Prayer
What do you normally call God? How do you address God in your prayer? This is a form of praise. In calling upon the name of the Lord we declare the greatness of God and the nature of our relationship with God. Creator, Lord, Jesus, Shepherd, Spirit—each expresses a different relationship.
If God were right in front of you, calling you by name and asking you, “What do you want?” what would you say? Would you ask for peace? For joy? To feel God’s love? To see the light? Take a moment and reflect. What would you say?
Then join the name you call God and your response to God's question. It may be a short prayer such as “Jesus, let me feel your Spirit, lead me in your light!” “Creator, let me feel your love!” This is your breath prayer.
Living Prayer
Begin to say your breath prayer. Say it as much as possible throughout the day. Keep it at a slow pace. Some people say their breath prayer while jogging, swimming, exercising. Some people say their breath prayer while doing dishes, driving in the car, walking down the street. Say it while getting dressed, going to sleep. Say it when you find yourself becoming impatient or upset, while at a stoplight, while waiting in line.
Hesychius, an early fifth century preacher and teacher, wrote to a friend that “ceaseless prayer keeps our mental air free from the dark clouds ... and when the air of the heart is pure, there is nothing to prevent the divine light of Jesus shining in it” [Heyschius of Jerusalem in Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, p. 15.].
From Weavings, September/October 1986. Copyright © 1986 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
RELATED RESOURCES:
Prayer
Personalizing Scripture
Praying for the World
Giving as Prayer
From A Simple Way to Pray by Ron DelBene in Weavings, September/October 1986. Copyright © 1986 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
Tending Your Soul: The God-Shaped Hole by Beth A. Richardson
The wise ones say that we were created with a God-shaped hole inside of us, a space that only God can truly fill. Yet we find ourselves tempted to fill that God-shaped space with other things—busyness, worry, news and music, podcasts and entertainment. Mother Teresa said, “God can’t fill what’s already full.” Part of our path in life is to figure out how to let God fill that empty space within us.In his book, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Henri Nouwen invites us to begin, or begin again, to connect with the spiritual life by following three steps that assist us in identifying the prayer of our hearts. Nouwen invites all believers to consider three movements which help us both attend to the God-shaped hole inside of us, and also to tune into the prayers of the Spirit on our behalf:
- contemplative reading of the word of God,
- making friends with silence/solitude and creating Sabbath in our lives, and
- finding guides and partners with whom to travel.
The Way of Transforming Discipleship
Discover a way to authentic Christian spirituality in The Way of Transforming Discipleship, the sixth title in the Companions in Christ series. By shining the light of God's Word into the darkness of our lives, Trevor Hudson will lead you to a pathway of discovery and growth. Explore the markers of the journey: - Knowing Who You Are
- Changing from the Inside
- Listening to the Groans
- Experiencing the God Who Heals
- Discovering Community Together
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Home > Small-Group Studies > Companions in Christ
The Way of Transforming Discipleship Participant's Book (Print Book)
Companions in Christ Series�
Stephen D. Bryant, Trevor Hudson
Price $ 9.99
Other Editions:
Publish Date:1/1/2006
Product Number:9842
ISBN9780835898423
Format:Print Book
Size:7.3125 x 9.25
Pages:96
Weight:0.50
OverviewThe Way of Transforming Discipleship Leader's Guide is also available.
Are you becoming the person God wants you to be? Discover a way to authentic Christian spirituality through this 6-week study. By shining the light of God's Word into the darkness of our lives, Hudson will lead you to a pathway of discovery and growth. Explore the markers of the journey:
- Becoming a Christ-Follower
- Knowing Who We Are
- Changing from the Inside
- Listening to the Groans
- Experiencing the God Who Heals
- Discovering Community Together
A group experience of this resource consists of a preparatory meeting, 5 weekly sessions, and a closing retreat. The Way of Transforming Discipleship is appropriate for any group that has completed the Companions in Christ 28-week foundational resource, or it may also be used as an introduction to this powerful program.
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