[Hannah] was deeply distressed
and prayed to the Lord,
and wept bitterly.
Hannah was praying silently;
only her lips moved,
but her voice was not heard
1 Samuel 1:10, 13 NRSV
Most days the wind constantly moves the chimes but we are not aware, we are easily distracted by other sounds. Slow down, pause, become aware, become attentive. What do you hear?
Every moment could be a moment of prayer
Consider prayer a lifting up of heart and mind to God with Brother David Steindl-Rast. This audio clip is approximately 3 minutes long.
Prayer as a lifting of heart and mind to God
Begin with your experiences as you explore prayer
Most of us know the experience of prayer. We may remember prayers taught to us in childhood. Prayers offered in our church communities may have meaning for us. Many of us can recall a time of pain, agony or despair when a prayer was pulled out of us with surprising strength: “Oh God, help me, help me!” or “Why, God, why?”
Often we remember times of great wonder during which we experienced God’s presence. A sunset, a piece of music, or a baby’s smile he]ps us to remember that God speaks to us in many ways if we are open and willing to see and to listen. When our hearts are touched by the wonder of God we often respond with words of gratitude or praise or simply an inner smile of joy.
We are all pray-ers; we know how to pray. But when we think about learning to pray we forget our experience and turn outside ourselves for answers and insights. The first step in exploring the life of prayer is to begin with the experiences that are uniquely ours.
From an online essay, Exploring a Life of Prayer by Jane E. Vennard (archived on Religion Online)
A Morning Prayer
Lord you are in this place, Fill us with your power, Cover us with your peace, Show us your presence.
Lord help us to know, We are in your hands, We are under your protection, We are covered by your love.
Lord we ask you, today, To deliver us from evil, To guide us in our travels, To defend us from all harm.
Lord give us now, Eyes to see the invisible, Ears to hear your call, Hands to do your work, And hearts to respond to your love.
David Adam. Border Lands: The Best of David Adam’s Celtic Vision (p. 23). Kindle Edition.
Photo: by Sam Javanrouh and posted on Facebook by Indian Country Today Media Network on November 16, 2012.
Hear what the Spirit is saying 