World Day of Prayer

Today is the World Day of Prayer.  World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. 

You don't have to be a woman to want to pray for peace, justice and solidarity in the world.  I wonder which part of the world you hear crying out for God's light and love?  Is it the political situation in the Middle East?  Is it the hungry and sick in Africa?  Is it the communities in the north of our country?  Is it the people in your own community or family?

Say a prayer and light a candle for whatever situation particularly touches your heart.

A prayer for today:
We believe hat God is present
In the darkness before dawn;
In the waiting and uncertainty
Where fear and courage join hands,
Conflict and caring link arms,
And the sun rises over barbed wire.
We believe in a with-us God
Who sits down in our midst
To share our humanity.
We ffirm a faith
That takes us beyond the safe place:
Into action, into vulnerability
And into the streets.
We commit ourselves on the line;
To bear responsibility, take risks,
Live powerfully and face humiliation;
To stand with those on the edge;
To choose life
And be used by the Spirit
For God's new community of hope.
Amen.
-Iona Community.

For more information about the World Day of Prayer check out www.worlddayofprayer.net

"Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth,

nor can prayer alone give an understanding of Truth;

but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual desire to know

and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth."

-Mary Baker Eddy

Any communication with the divine is prayer.  Prayer isn't reserved for churchgoers, devout people, ministers and monks.  Prayer isn't limited to words, churches or religious objects.  Prayer is a relationship that everyone has with the mystery we know as God.  Prayer is a basic human activity.

Prayer often begins as a longing in the heart, a longing for connection, a longing to make contact with a power greater than ourselves.  Other times prayer begins as a desperate need for help, peace, strength or comfort.  Other times prayer begins as a deep hope for others - to stop suffering, for the earth's healing, for care of the poor.  Sometimes prayer begins in fear - we reach out for something that will let us know that we will be okay. 

I find it natural to call out to God in the difficult times and to give praise and thanks it times of celebration.  It is those in between, everyday times where I need to make prayer a daily practise in my life.  If I don't make it a daily ritual, I run the risk of it becoming forgotten in my busy schedule.

Praying takes many forms: from highly structured words, to movement, to a silent listening.  Christian prayer may  be physical (lifting up your arms, kneeling...); prayer may be listening (noticing the words, images, feelings that God gives you); prayer may be action (helping a friend); or prayer may be just being (siting and enjoying God's presence in the world).  I encourage you all to explore different prayer forms until you find the one that works for you. 

Find your own prayer:

When do you feel most alive and open to God?  Is it when you are walking, writing, being with friends, singing?

Next time you engage in an activity you enjoy, as God to be with you.

See what it's like to do this activity as a prayer, noticing God with you as you write, play, sing, etc.

How do you feel when you share something you love with God?  How could this activity become a regular time of prayer?

"The great thing is prayer.  Prayer itself.

If you want a life of prayer, the way to get it is by praying...

You start where you are and you deepen what you already have."

-Thomas Merton.

Sources:

Way to Live, ed. Bass & Richter

I'd Say Yes, God, if I knew what You wanted, Reeves.