The Prayer Practice Session 02: Talking with God

Summary

Highlights

• Experience the power of shared reflections and community involvement in prayer practice. 👥
• Learn how childish babbling can evolve into deep, meaningful communication with the divine. 👶➡️🙏
• Engage in prayer exercises that bring a positive change in understanding the spiritual realm. 🔁
• Understand the importance of aligning prayer requests with the teachings of Jesus for greater impact. 📖✨
• Incorporate gratitude and lament as pivotal moments for growth and closer connection with God. 💌

Key Takeaways

• Prayer is a transformative journey, progressing from talking to God to talking with Him, and beyond. 🌟
• Exercises like gratitude, lament, and petition help deepen your spiritual life. 🙏
• Sharing reflections in groups encourages vulnerability and growth. 💬
• Aligning requests with Jesus's teachings enhances the power of prayer. ✨
• Using different methods, like prayer cards, makes prayer more engaging and meaningful. 🃏

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Recap This chapter, titled 'Introduction and Recap,' begins with a reminder for listeners to utilize free resources available at the website practicingtheway.org. The speaker welcomes everyone back to the series focusing on prayer practice. Emphasizing the teachings of Jesus, the speaker notes the importance of not only hearing but also practicing the words of Jesus. Congratulations are extended to those who have been actively practicing prayer over the week.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Reflection and Sharing The chapter 'Reflection and Sharing' emphasizes the importance of community gatherings to learn and practice the teachings of Jesus on prayer. It mentions that over four sessions, different types of prayer will be discussed. The current focus is on 'Talking with God'. The chapter highlights that reflection is crucial in spiritual growth, quoting Professor Trevor Hudson's belief that change comes not just from experiences but from reflecting on them.
• 02:00 - 02:30: The Metaphor of Communication This chapter emphasizes the importance of learning to notice the movement of God both externally and internally as part of the journey in following Jesus. The readers are encouraged to reflect on their practice and share their reflections in groups of three, called Triads, allowing for comfortable vulnerability. Honesty is stressed, as there is no pressure to conform or claim false experiences or feelings.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Stages of Prayer The chapter 'Stages of Prayer' provides reflective questions designed to guide one's prayer time. It suggests considering where resistance in prayer was felt, such as distractions from phones or personal to-do lists, including any lack of desire for God. It also asks to identify moments of delight and joy in prayer, and where one felt God's closest presence. These reflective practices are framed as a new skill for some, emphasizing their valuable aid in enhancing the prayer experience.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Talking with God The chapter titled 'Talking with God' opens with a scene where the narrator describes a recent evening spent with friends. The friends are a couple who have two young children: a baby and a preschooler. The setting suggests a casual and intimate gathering, which sets the tone for the chapter's exploration of personal and spiritual themes.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Subcategories of Talking with God The chapter titled 'Subcategories of Talking with God' explores the early stages of communication in children. It begins by describing a baby learning to talk, making undecipherable noises throughout the night. Observations are made on the parents teaching the baby simple phrases like 'hi,' 'please,' and 'thank you,' facilitating early interaction. The narrative progresses to a preschooler with a basic understanding of English, advancing her communication skills by interacting with people around her. By the end, the preschooler demonstrates growing confidence by asking a question, portraying the innocence and shyness typical of a young child.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Gratitude The chapter "Gratitude" draws a parallel between children's learning process and the spiritual practice of prayer. It highlights a four-stage progression in the life of prayer: talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. The journey of prayer, much like childhood learning, is a developmental process wherein individuals evolve from simple to more profound forms of communication and communion with the divine. The author notes that while this progression is not strictly linear, it resembles the natural way children learn communication skills.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Lament and Its Importance The chapter emphasizes the evolution of one's relationship with God, transitioning from rote prayers to a more personal and honest communication.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Petition and Intercession In this chapter, Jesus teaches about prayer, emphasizing a progression from merely talking to God to having a conversation with Him. The lesson begins with a parable where a person requests bread from a friend at midnight to feed an unexpected guest. This scenario illustrates the concept of petitioning in prayer and highlights the importance of perseverance and boldness when approaching God with requests.
• 09:00 - 09:30: Praying in Jesus' Name The chapter discusses the concept of 'Praying in Jesus' Name' by exploring a parable taught by Jesus. This parable compares God to a neighbor who initially refuses to help a friend in need due to inconvenience. However, due to the friend's persistence and 'Shameless audacity,' the neighbor eventually gives in and provides what is needed. This teaching highlights the effectiveness of persistent prayer and emphasizes that, unlike the grumpy neighbor, God is always willing to listen and help. The teaching method used is the rabbinical 'how much more' style, drawing out the contrast to make a point about God's readiness to respond to prayer.
• 10:00 - 10:30: The Power of Intercessory Prayer This chapter focuses on the powerful concept of intercessory prayer. It draws a comparison between a reluctant neighbor who eventually gives in to requests and our Heavenly Father, who is far more willing to respond to our prayers. By referencing Jesus’ words in the Bible, the chapter emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer. It encourages believers to actively ask, seek, and knock, assuring them that their efforts will not go unnoticed, as God promises to respond to all who reach out to Him. The underlying message is one of faith and perseverance in prayer, reinforcing the belief that God will provide when approached with genuine intention.
• 11:00 - 11:30: Prayer as Partnership with God The chapter titled 'Prayer as Partnership with God' discusses Jesus' metaphor about the relationship between a father and his child. In this narrative, Jesus illustrates that even flawed humans know how to give good things to their children. This serves as a comparison to emphasize how much more God is willing to bless those who ask, especially with the Holy Spirit. The passage encourages seeing prayer as a partnership with God, recognizing the divine readiness to provide blessings to those who seek them with a sincere heart.
• 12:00 - 12:30: Conclusion and Invitation to Prayer The chapter discusses the progression of prayer, starting with a pre-made prayer, 'Our Father,' and moving towards a personal conversation with God. The analogy of learning music is used to illustrate this progression: just as one begins with basic music theory, scales, and chords before moving on to more complex compositions, one starts with structured prayers and evolves towards personal dialogue with God.
• 13:00 - 13:30: Testimonial by Trey from Portland The chapter titled "Testimonial by Trey from Portland" draws an analogy between learning to play the guitar and spiritual growth. Trey discusses the process of mastering the basics by playing other people's music before creating your own. This is compared to learning to pray, where one starts by understanding the fundamentals of life with God and progresses to more personal, improvised conversations, described as 'talking with God.' Trey highlights the skill of John Colrain, a musician who has mastered the technicalities so well that he improvises freely in his music, suggesting a parallel to achieving a deeper, more spontaneous spiritual dialogue.
• 14:00 - 14:30: Weekly Exercises and Reflection This chapter focuses on the theme of 'talking with God' and is divided into three subcategories: gratitude, lament, and petition/intercession. The section on gratitude encourages reflection on the positive aspects of one's life and world. Lament addresses the conversation with God about the negative or evil aspects of life and the world. Finally, petition and intercession involve asking God to fulfill promises and bring about positive change by overcoming evil with good. The chapter promises to delve into each of these subcategories, although the summary ends with a teaser for 'a short word on each' without further detail.
• 15:00 - 15:30: Gratitude Practice This chapter focuses on the concept and importance of gratitude in spiritual practice. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, is quoted emphasizing the significance of starting prayer with gratitude for the benefits received from God. He defines ingratitude as the failure to recognize good things, graces, and gifts as they are, stating that ingratitude is the root of all evil and sin. The example of Adam is mentioned to illustrate this point.
• 16:00 - 16:30: Petition and Intercession Exercises The chapter titled 'Petition and Intercession Exercises' discusses the concept of life being a gift rather than a right, referencing the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It emphasizes the importance of gratitude, not just as the beginning of prayer, but as central to our relationship with God. The narrative challenges the notion of human rights by highlighting the notion that, although human rights is a Christian concept, life should fundamentally be viewed as a gift from God. The chapter underscores gratitude as the heart and soul of this relationship with the divine.
• 17:00 - 17:30: Reach Exercise - Lament The chapter explores the concept of the Holy Trinity as a divine dance characterized by generous, joyful, self-giving, and others-focused love. It highlights the roles within the Trinity: God the Father loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, who in turn gave Himself for humanity's sins. Furthermore, together, the Father and the Son gave the Holy Spirit. The narrative emphasizes that generosity is central to the gospel and inherent in the nature of the Triune God.
• 18:00 - 18:30: Reading and Podcast Recommendations The chapter titled 'Reading and Podcast Recommendations' discusses the importance of gratitude in spiritual life. It highlights the perspective of Paul, emphasizing that thankfulness should overflow in our lives. Jesuit priest Timothy Gallagher is also mentioned, as he underscores gratitude as the core of our relationship with God. The narrative suggests that recognizing God's loving gifts and His presence through these gifts is central to spiritual development.
• 19:00 - 19:30: Final Invitation and Farewell The chapter titled 'Final Invitation and Farewell' emphasizes the importance of living a life filled with genuine gratitude, suggesting that sainthood is characterized by an existence of joyful thankfulness. It encourages viewing life as a gift and practicing lamentation, which involves having honest conversations with God about the evil and pain present in one's life and the world. The chapter acknowledges the existence of ugliness and evil and questions how one should handle such pain.

The Prayer Practice Session 02: Talking with God Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 before we begin this session don't forget to take advantage of the free resources available at practicing theway.org [Music] hey everyone welcome back to the prayer practice Jesus had good things to say about those who hear his words and put them into practice and you did that this week you you practiced prayer we're so
• 00:30 - 01:00 very happy you've chosen to come back together again with your community to hear more of Jesus's teaching on prayer and put them into practice in the week ahead over the four sessions we're working through four types of prayer up for today is talking with God but first a practi in the way we believe that reflection is key in the spiritual life as the professor Trevor Hudson once said we don't change from experience we change when we reflect on our experience
• 01:00 - 01:30 much of learning to follow Jesus is learning to notice the movement of God without and within us so we hope you made time to fill out the practice reflection in your companion guide now we're going to invite you to break into Triads groups of three or so people and share from your reflection with as much vulnerability as you're comfortable with and please don't feel any pressure to say you did something that you didn't or claim that you like something you didn't like just be honest here are three
• 01:30 - 02:00 questions to guide your time the first where did you feel resistance in prayer internally or externally your phone your to-do list lack of desire for God second where did you feel Delight where did your soul come alive or find joy and the third where did you most experience God's nearness for some of you naming this will be a new skill but it's so helpful take a few minutes to reflect together before the teacher
• 02:00 - 02:30 [Music] just a few nights ago we had our friends over for dinner they have two little kids a baby and a preschooler
• 02:30 - 03:00 the baby is just learning to talk all night long he was making noises that I could not decipher for the life of me but I was watching his mom and dad teach him to speak say hi say please say thank you teaching the child to talk to me and others the preschooler on the other hand had a basic grasp of the English language and was learning to talk with people at the very end of the night she even came up to me and shy and bashful asked me a question and then sat there in a squirely four-year-old kind of way
• 03:00 - 03:30 listening for my reply both children are going through a godc created process of learning how to communicate and commune with others in a similar way we are working through a four-stage progression in the life of prayer talking to God talking with God listening to God and being with God and while the spiritual journey is not linear most of us learn to pray just like children first we
• 03:30 - 04:00 learn the vocabulary and grammar of life with God say daddy say Mommy say our father who is in heaven to talk to God but there comes a time when we desire a more personalized relationship to God more grounded in the highs and lows of our particular life so we begin most of us intuitively to talk with God all I mean by that is to tell him what's on our mind turn again in your Bibles to Luke
• 04:00 - 04:30 [Music] 11 we see this progression from talking to God to talking with God in Jesus Central teaching on prayer we left off last session in verse four let's pick it up in verse 5 then Jesus said to them suppose you have a friend and you go to him at midnight and say friend lend me three loaves of bread a friend of mine on a journey has come to me and I have no food to offer him and suppose the one inside answered don't bother me the door
• 04:30 - 05:00 is already locked and my children and I are in bed I can't get up and give you anything I tell you even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship yet because of your Shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need this is a rabbi form of teaching that new testament Scholars call how much more it's Jesus way of drawing attention to a particular Point his point is not that God is the grumpy neighbor with a do not disturb sign on his front door
• 05:00 - 05:30 but if you bang loud or enough he'll give you what you really want it's if the grumpy begrudging neighbor will answer your request how much more will our father Jesus goes on verse 9 so I say to you ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and the door will be open to you for everyone who asks receives the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks the door
• 05:30 - 06:00 will be opened and then notice Jesus goes straight to the metaphor of a father and his child verse 11 which of you fathers if your son asks for a fish will give him a snake instead or if he asks for an egg will give him a scorpion if you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him did you see the progression Jesus
• 06:00 - 06:30 starts by teaching his disciples to talk to God meaning to pray a pre-made prayer when you pray recite this Our Father who is in heaven but he assumes his disciples will move on to talk with God to come to our father with all that we need and desire this progression is kind of like learning to play music I played in bands for years and the first thing you do with music is learn basic music Theory and scales and chords on your
• 06:30 - 07:00 guitar you have to first learn to play other people's music before you can learn to write your own music when you watch a savant like John colrain he so mastered all the ins and outs of music that now he's just feeling his way into each song in the same way we begin to Pray by learning the basics of life with God but then we move on to just riffing in our conversations with our father or what we are calling talking with God now
• 07:00 - 07:30 under the second category of talking with God there are three subcategories they are gratitude talking with God about what is good in your life and World lament talking with God about what is evil in your life and world and petition and intercession asking God to fulfill his promises to overcome evil with good a short word on each first off
• 07:30 - 08:00 gratitude Ignatius of lyola the founder of the Jesuit order said the beginning point for this type of more interactive prayer is to quote give thanks to God our lord for the benefits received he called in gratitude a failure to recognize the good things The Graces and the gifts received as such he said ingratitude is the cause beginning and origin of all evil and sin think of Adam
• 08:00 - 08:30 and Eve in the Garden of Eden their sin was ultimately a failure to receive their life as a gift but rather an attempt to take it as a right and while human rights is a thoroughly Christian concept we must hold it in harmony with the fact that ultimately life is a gift not a right therefore gratitude isn't just the beginning of prayer it's the heart and soul of our entire Rel relationship to God at the center of the
• 08:30 - 09:00 Divine dance we call the Trinity is a generous joyful self-giving others focused love it is written for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son and of Jesus he gave himself for our sins the father gave the Son and the son gave his life and the father and the son together gave the Holy Spirit generosities at the center of the gospel and the inner nature of the Triune God
• 09:00 - 09:30 himself therefore gratitude is the primary way we relate to God Paul writes that we are to be overflowing with thankfulness the Jesuit priest Timothy Gallagher says this recognizing God's loving gifts and recognizing God's loving presence through them summarized by the word gratitude lies at the very heart of our relationship with God one way to measure your spiritual
• 09:30 - 10:00 is by your level of genuine unforced thankfulness it's been said that to be a saint is to live on grateful Joy it's to see all of your life as a gift secondly is lament talking with God about what is evil in your life and world the honest truth is our life and world are both full of things that are not good or beautiful but are ugly and Evil what are we to do with all the pain
• 10:00 - 10:30 and suffering We Carry in our heart pray it as Pete Greg the founder of 247 prayer would say pray what you got if you have gratitude pray that grief pray that fear pray that anger pray that it's an Open Secret that many Christians find prayer boring one reason for that is because they aren't actually praying they're performing we are so used to performing our life with other people we
• 10:30 - 11:00 edit our thoughts and words to present a more polished image of ourselves to the world in order to be loved and not rejected and to succeed and not fail it's like we can't help but carry that way of being over into our relationship to God but CS Lewis said we are to lay before God what is in us not what ought to be in US learning to pray is about learning to bring all we are to God because he already already knows all that's inside us I think of Psalm 139
• 11:00 - 11:30 you have searched me Lord and you know me you perceive my thoughts from afar before a word is on my tongue you Lord know it completely talking honestly with God about our pain is a type of prayer we call lament it's very rare in modern worship music but it was very common in ancient worship read the Psalms the so-called prayer book of the Bible Scholars tell us that approximately
• 11:30 - 12:00 2third of the Psalms are lament read them they are full of rage anger Vengeance jealousy Envy doubt suicidal ideation and worse why would God put that in scripture and as a template for how to pray because we are full of rage and anger and Vengeance and more one way of thinking about lament is as an emotionally healthy way of processing the pain of your life and world with God
• 12:00 - 12:30 learning to complain not about God but to God because if we don't complain to God we'll end up complaining to our spouse or our friend group or our boss or our pastor or the internet will vent and rage and criticize and just leak emotional waste into the atmosphere another way of thinking about lament is as a theological protest how you protest God himself or at least the events of God's world our generation is all about protest and
• 12:30 - 13:00 speaking truth to power and the social media rant what if we were to Channel at least some of that pent up anger and angst into prayer the social activist JT Thomas calls this pray test and argues this kind of praying against evil and Injustice does something both through us and in us it's a way of fighting not against God but with God and against evil as Anne Vos Camp has said said lament is a cry of belief in a good god
• 13:00 - 13:30 a God who has his ear to our hearts a God who transfigures the ugly into Beauty now we're getting into the third category lament will naturally lead you into petition and intercession asking God to fulfill his promises to overcome evil with good petition is when we ask God to do something on our behalf God help me get a job or make rent or put food on the table or know what to do in
• 13:30 - 14:00 a tricky situation with my kid intercession is when we ask God to do something on someone else's behalf it's a Priestly work standing before God on behalf of people and people on behalf of God and intercession at its best is a form of love a way to carry one another's pain into God's healing light and both petition and intercession which are two sides of the same coin are summarized by Jesus Jus command to ask
• 14:00 - 14:30 Paul Miller in his book a Praying life writes all of Jesus teaching on prayer in the gospels can be summarized with one word ask over and over again Jesus says ask and it will be given to you he regularly says to people what do you want me to do for you many of us have thought about a problem in our life many times but we have never stopped to ask Jesus to do something about it but the 19th century Baptist preacher Charles
• 14:30 - 15:00 Spurgeon said whether we like it or not asking is the rule of the kingdom and the single most important thing Jesus teaches his disciples about asking is not just to ask but to ask in Jesus name for example just a few chapters later in John Jesus says I will do whatever you ask in my name most people put the T line in Jesus name at the end of their
• 15:00 - 15:30 prayer in Jesus name amen but not once is it used that way in the New Testament if it goes anywhere in a prayer it should go at the beginning not the end because it's not a magic incantation you add to the end of your prayer to get what you want like the open sesame of the kingdom of God it's a way of praying there are at least two Dimensions to asking in jesus' name the first is to invoke our status as those who are in Christ or in Jesus the New Testament
• 15:30 - 16:00 scholar Larry herado put it this way to pray in jesus' name means that we enter into Jesus status in God's favor and invoke Jesus standing with God it means that when we come before our father we come as Sons and Daughters not as Beggars off the street but as princes and princesses who have been adopted into the family through Christ our brother with the New Testament writer Paul calls coair with Christ we come in
• 16:00 - 16:30 the name and authority of King Jesus with access to the full resources of his kingdom the second dimension is to pray in alignment with Christ in the ancient world a person's name was a synonym for their nature or character we ask in jesus' name when we ask for the kinds of things that Jesus himself would ask for if he were in our situation that is the sacred alignment through which the
• 16:30 - 17:00 miraculous power of God can flow this is why if you pay close attention to the prayers of scripture be it from Moses in the Old Testament or Paul in the New they don't pray problems they pray promises they call on God to do what they know he desires to do but to pray in jesus' name we must come to believe that our prayers actually make a difference in what does or does not happen the Theologian Walter wink said
• 17:00 - 17:30 this beautifully intercessory prayer is spiritual Defiance of what is in the name of what God has promised intercession visualizes an alternative future to the one apparently Faded by the momentum of current forces prayer infuses the air of a time yet to be into the suffocating atmosphere of the present history belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into
• 17:30 - 18:00 being even a small number of people firmly committed to the new inevitability on which they have fixed their imaginations can decisively affect the shape the future takes these Shapers of the future are The intercessors Tragically very few modern Christians actually believe this that through prayer we can quote decisively affect the shape the future takes much much less think of prayer as spiritual
• 18:00 - 18:30 Defiance few of us live with Jesus world view what some theologians call a Warfare worldview that sees Humanity as besieged by evil forces and Jesus as its savior come to liberate occupied territory with the kingdom of God and prayer is How We join Jesus in the fight there is a deadly undercurrent of determinism in the modern Church like the ancient Greeks many believe we are trapped by the fates listen to the
• 18:30 - 19:00 philosopher Dallas Willard on this conundrum God's response to our prayers is not a charade he does not pretend that he is answering our prayer when he is only doing what he was going to do anyway our requests really do make a difference in what God does or does not do the idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a spectre that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God it makes prayer
• 19:00 - 19:30 psychologically impossible replacing it with dead ritual at Best of course this is not the biblical idea of prayer nor is it the idea of people for whom prayer is a vital part of life think again of the Lord's Prayer and that line your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven Jesus assumes one that the kingdom of God's Will has not yet come and that his will is not yet done at least not in full and two he
• 19:30 - 20:00 assumes that prayer actually makes a difference in what does or does not happen of course this raises all sorts of questions about the tension between God's power and good intentions or what some call his sovereignty or Providence and human free will not to mention demonic Free Will is prayer something God is doing in me or something I am doing with God it's both go God is king of the world but his world is besieged
• 20:00 - 20:30 by evil and he's not a dictator he hasn't totally taken his hands off the wheel but he really has entrusted a level of management of the world to his sons and daughters and prayer is one of the ways we Steward our task as co-rulers with Jesus in his world and fight for its Liberation the reformed Theologian RC spra said it this way the prayer of his people is one of the means god uses to bring things to pass pass in this world so if you ask me whether
• 20:30 - 21:00 Prayer Changes Things I answer with an unhesitating yes to pray is both a moral responsibility and a spiritual opportunity to partner with God to bend the Arc of human history in the direction of his kingdom but as we pray we must never forget that whether we come to God with gratitude or lament or petition and intercession through it all God is forming us into
• 21:00 - 21:30 the answers to our own prayers prayer is the way we ask God to do things only he can do in the world and it's a way of giving God the time and space to do what only he can do in us so this coming week as you practice gratitude and lament and petition and intercession May our Anthem be your Kingdom Come and your will be
• 21:30 - 22:00 done on Earth and in my life and our community as it is in heaven things for listening normally at this point in the practice we pause for group discussion but since the prac practice of prayer is one we can do together we're going to invite you to
• 22:00 - 22:30 pause and pray you may want to pray one at a time or some call it popcorn style but you should know that many Christians around the world actually pray out loud all at once in Korea they call it tongo which literally means praying together out loud I grew up in a church that prayed this way and have always found that it keeps prayer communal and Lively but whether you pray all at once or one at a time we recommend you take a few minutes for gratitude a few minutes for
• 22:30 - 23:00 lament and then end with a time of petition and intercession go ahead and pray [Music] now hey my name is Trey and I live in Portland Oregon prayer makes all the difference and that's been hard for me to understand I want to put my body in a place I want to put my action out in front of people and and I want people to
• 23:00 - 23:30 follow me if I'm really honest sometimes in my pride and I think sadly a lot of those things in today's world especially within the Justice movement a lot of those things are able are are able to be captured on different media platforms and so I think that is why it feels like that needs to be the number one response is something that is able to be captured by a camera by a a a podcast anything what I've actually come to believe is
• 23:30 - 24:00 that there are unseen factors at play and that there are actual spiritual forces who are not only opposing me but they're opposing my culture they're they're opposing my city there's someone out there who's looking to actually steal kill and destroy and and to go into prayer is to enter into a posture of humility where it's saying I don't have all the answers and I definitely do not hold all of the power but I am intimately connected to the one who does
• 24:00 - 24:30 have the answers and to the one who does hold the power and in my belief with Jesus is I'm ultimately connected to the prince of peace and through the Prince of Peace we can actually chaste Justice we can taste righteousness and it's something that's not paper thin it actually has Deep Roots and so to me it is countercultural to go to prayer and thank God that I'm willing to be countercultural and that other people are willing to be countercultural Al but what has been the result a lot of times
• 24:30 - 25:00 I think is not long lived you don't see the heart posture of people change and that's because that's God's business God changes people he changes Hearts he redeems things that are deeper and so to go into prayer first is actually how you can make a real difference when it comes to Justice now it's time to look at the week ahead we have three exercises for you to practice but first remember that prayer is is not a technique to master because the whole point of prayer is to
• 25:00 - 25:30 be Mastered by God and in doing so be set free think of this practice as learning new relational skills with God that said our first exercise is to continue to find tune your daily prayer Rhythm it can take a really long time to figure out your daily prayer routine where to pray when to pray how to pray and it's a moving Target in the different seasons of our lives so we're always fine-tuning asking things like what what's working and what's not let
• 25:30 - 26:00 me give you two things to consider incorporating into what you started last week first find an aid or ritual to help you transition in and out of prayer many like to light a candle or sit in silence for a few minutes or step outside and go for a walk it can be anything that helps you unhurry and reenter on God's presence also use your body in prayer we have an embodied faith and a Wandering mind so position matters a lot in prayer biblically the most common way to pray
• 26:00 - 26:30 is standing up and even lifting your hands but you can also pray kneeling or lying face down or walking or like Jesus by climbing a mountain different postures are more conducive to different types of prayer just experiment with your body and your daily prayer Rhythm secondly begin or end your day with gratitude since there's no right way to pray gratitude you can feel free to be creative you can do this to begin your daily prayer Rhythm or while driving home from work or as you lay in bed at
• 26:30 - 27:00 night you can keep a gratitude journal or write out your gratitudes on a scrap of paper and carry them in your pocket throughout the day you can go around the table at breakfast or dinner and say what you're thankful for gratitude will naturally lead us to praise where we celebrate not just what God has done but who God is but the exercise is at least once a day pause and give thanks for at least three good things in your life finally ask step into petition and
• 27:00 - 27:30 intercession and ask on behalf of both yourself and others we have two recommended exercises in the guide to do this the first is prayer cards where you make a deck of cards with the names or situation at the top of each card and you just flip through them and linger over each one for a few minutes offering off specific prayers to our father or you can just do one card with the most important people or situation in your life you can also include your enemies
• 27:30 - 28:00 as praying for them can set your heart free to love them the second is an exercise called praying the room where you just imagine yourself in a room with our father or Jesus and then ask the Holy Spirit to bring into the room anyone or anything that he's wanting you to intercede for then begin to pray for whomever or whatever comes to mind more instructions are available for you in the companion guide for those of you who want to go further our reach exercise
• 28:00 - 28:30 for this week is to pray your own lament you may find it helpful to write your own or you may find it more helpful to start with a Psalm of lament and we have several recommendations of this in the guide or you may want to go somewhere else where you are alone and vent your feelings to God as an aid we have a video tutorial from strong Coleman available where he guides you through a time of lament and you create space to offer all that is in you to God we're also in chapters 4 to 6 in our
• 28:30 - 29:00 recommended reading as well as listening to episode two of the rule of Life podcast finally this is your official reminder to fill out the practice reflection before you come back together for session three again everything we offer is Invitational we make recommendations you make decisions but in the week ahead may Jesus teach you to pray to commune and communicate with our father and lead you into a Deeper Life of Union with the Holy
• 29:00 - 29:30 [Music] [Music] Spirit