M.B. Herald: Vol. 35, No. 22: Turning Thoughts into Prayers <body background="cmbc.gif"> </head> <body> <h1>Turning Thoughts into Prayers</h1> <h3>by Jan Johnson</h3> I told the pastor I'd be glad to pass out brochures door to door. But when he handed them to me, I thought I'd love to go home, curl up and read a book. Because I'd agreed to pass out the material, I gritted my teeth and ventured up the walk to the first house.<P> A young mother appeared at the door, balancing a toddler on her hip. Seeing her, I remembered how I felt like such a misfit when my children were small. As I showed her the brochure with the service times, I began to turn my thoughts into prayer: <I>Give her patience, God. This little one isn't potty-trained.</i> When I handed her the pen with the church's name on it, she smiled. <I>What a glowing smile--make Yourself real to her.</i><P> As I left the house, I saw that even though my official task was to pass out literature and pens, my real task was to pray for everyone I encountered. Soon I began enjoying this new role so much that I stopped at homes abandoned due to a recent earthquake and prayed for the people who used to live there. <I>Living with relatives can be wonderful and difficult, God. Sustain them.</i><P> We make the command to "pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17, KJV) more difficult and mysterious than it needs to be. (See also Hebrews 13:1, Colossians 4:2, Ephesians 6:18.) Perhaps it's a simple matter of making prayer the "main business of our lives" a phrase Richard Foster uses in <I>Celebration of Discipline.</i> The perpetual self-talk that goes on in our heads can be transformed into a continual conversation with God.<P> For example, I felt annoyed each time I looked at the basketball backstop in our backyard. My friend's son Justin had pulled the basket down, and when it had broken, he had laughed, "I guess it's not the kind that pops up." We hadn't found time to repair it, which meant our family had one less activity to enjoy. Every time I looked at it, I felt annoyed with Justin. Then I felt annoyed with myself. Justin had been in a drug rehabilitation centre lately. His parents had their hands full. Why couldn't I use the broken backstop as a reminder to pray for Justin? So I did.<P> If we're going to weave prayer throughout our day, greater intimacy with God is bound to develop. What do we pray? Whatever piece of God's will we understand. My friend Karen prayed for God's will when she was attracted to a married co-worker. Whenever she was around him or thought about him, she prayed for scriptural truths to become real in his life. "I prayed that he would be a loving husband and a firm, gentle father," she says. "I prayed that God would use him to advance the kingdom. I prayed that I would figure out how to be his friend. It was pretty hard to flirt with him when I was praying for him that way, and my feelings soon returned to normal.".<P> Another helpful method is the "breath prayer", repeating a phrase that has great meaning. For example, when situations grieve me that I am powerless to change, I find myself praying, "into Thy hands":<P> "I am afraid of upcoming surgery--into Thy hands."<P> "I don't want my job to end--into Thy hands."<P> "I want this person to love You, but he doesn't--into Thy hands."<P> Offering this breath prayer is slowly transforming my self-talk and attitude. I'm less willful and more open to God's will.<P> Breath prayers are so simple that they're revolutionary. We need this simplicity in a culture that wows people with words. For too long, we've thought that short, simple prayers are not sophisticated enough. What a relief to grow into a relationship with God in which we don't have to go on and on explaining everything to God. We can pray simply and enjoy being with Him in peace.<P> <I>Jan Johnson is a retreat speaker and author of the book, </i>Enjoying the Presence of God<I> (NavPress, 1996), from which this is adapted.</i> <p> <hr> <P> <a href="../mbh3522.htm"> <img align=middle src="../mbtrump1.gif"></a>Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 35, No. 22 Home Page </body> </html>