Waiting, listening, and waiting....

  The wrestling match for most Christians lies in the daily struggle to become closer to God by praying more often.  Many of us see this as just another task to see ourselves fail in accomplishing it.  Failure to pray begins when it is defined as a practice, a discipline, or a duty to perform.  When prayer becomes like oxygen, it will begin to consume us.  It can be a practice, a discipline, and even a duty to a degree, but we must not define it in such a way.  Prayer is not a 'stop and pray' act, it is a 'pray as you go' rhythm of life.  Stop and pray may be a 'part' of it among the many ways in which to allow it to consume your life.
  Begin your prayer journey with nothing. Read and recite the Lord's Prayer or some of the Psalms as you begin. Soon, these and your own prayers will take over and you will be consumed by prayer.  This journey is what it is, it's a journey. It may have a beginning, but it will never have an end.  You may advance forward and you may retreat from time to time, there is a reason for each rhythm.  Again, begin with nothing and see where God takes you.


"What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer?  Wait. Listen. Wait some more."
Thomas Merton
(Cloister Talks; Learning from my Friends the Monks, Jon M. Sweeney. 2009)


Jon..."So how do we do better" I asked him.
Bro. Luke..."Don't try harder. Find your home with God, and remain there."

(Cloister Talks; Learning from my Friends the Monks, Jon M. Sweeney. 2009)


Don't give up!
Trent