Context: Yesterday, I woke and began to pray, as usual. My list of people to pray for was at hand, but it is long, and I was weary of pushing myself to pray for each one in turn. So instead I just opened myself to being led in prayer.
Almost immediately, I received the first line of today’s blog, and wrote it down, then waited quietly, to see what would happen next. This is what I experienced:
The source of prayer is deep within. It comes from God, who lives in every soul (1).
God is our breath, our spirit, and our Saviour (2).
So I allowed God’s Spirit to guide my prayers (3).
I prayed very simply for those who came to mind, feeling peaceful and unhurried (4).
To my considerable relief, no further insights arose from the dark depths of my unconscious mind. This meant I wouldn’t have to spend the day trying to express something that was difficult to put into words.
After praying for others until no more names appeared, I worshipped in silence until my prayer reached a comfortable, natural ending (5).
It was bliss (6).
References
1. You are the temple of the living God (Luke 17:21; NKJV).
Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16; NLT).
2. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4; NLT).
I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:3; NLT).
3. The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-7; NRSV).
4. I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).
5. YHWH is in the Holy Temple: let all the earth be silent in God’s presence (Habakkuk 2:20; TIB).
6. Thou makest me to know the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy, in Thy right hand bliss for evermore (Psalm 16:11; JPS Tanakh 1917).