What About Prayer?

This morning I was continuing to read a book that called to me from the shelves in a trendy, cool bookstore. I was attracted to it but left it behind twice. The third time, I bought it. And, it is well-written, content-rich...and demanding. The book is called Praying Dangerously by Regina Sara Ryan. The title is provocative but the content is mind-rocking and earth-shaking. Enough said, you might want to read it.

So, what about prayer? As a young person, I was taught that it was all about petition and bartering. A good example of that would be:

"If I'm not pregnant this time, God, I promise I'll never do it again!"

You know, that kind of thing.

Help me now and I'll be good forever. Somehow as though I could go and cast myself down in front of that celestial, anthropomorphic being who was in charge of making decisions and plead my case. On a whim, that Being would make a decision on my sincerity...maybe.

Not so anymore. My view of prayer has changed radically and Regina's book shows that both she and I shared this journey to some understanding. She's obviously given it more research and thought lately!

In light of the last two posts on prosperity, I'm going to tie the idea of prayer into our likely shared request for abundance. First, I know that abundance is not able to be parsed: I'll get an abundance of everything, not just the good stuff. (Now, that's not what they tell you in the books with airy covers, is it?) So, maybe abundance is a questionable request.

There is great value in difficult times. Often our prayer is to have the difficulty removed, and that seems logical. But, how many times have you looked back on a seeming disaster--or, at least, a challenge, and seen the growth and the good it brought you? I certainly have. And, that's not just putting a rosy spin on horrible moments. They did bring insight, understanding or experiences that just couldn't be found in "the perfect life."

It's downright unpopular to suggest that a spiritual life is a difficult life. Even that popular phenomenon, The Secret, suggested you could have only all the good you want. If you just knew "The Secret." I can't help but wonder how many people read that book, felt inspired, found that they didn't get everything they wanted and moved on to the bookstore, looking for something else!

So, what about prayer? Another book I enjoy is The Path of Prayer by Sophie Burnham, another take on the subject with a different perspective than Regina's book. Both thought-provoking. Sophie wrote:

"What is prayer? It is quite simply a yearning of the heart....It is thought concentrated and distilled. ...Prayer is the irresistible urge of our human nature to contact and communicate with the source of love, with the energy of the universe. ...Prayer is communication with our highest spiritual part, with the state of loving and of being loved. ...What is prayer? It is a tool provding strength and energy."

So, what is prayer to you? Let's talk about it here.

Prayerfully,
Rhoberta