SundayFebruary22,2015|devo18

Kierkegaard&JoanofArc

Hiya,Seniors:)

Soren Kierkegaard said, A man

prayed, and atfirst he thought that
prayer was talking. But he became
more and more quiet until in the
end he realized that prayer is
listening.

As the end of this semester draws

near and Mr. and Mrs. VanWinkle
Gate ready themselves in an
outward posture, listening to the
HolySpiritor findingthetime/space
to hear His voice can become
challenging. However, with such aninspiringtransitionapproaching,listeningbecomesallthe
more crucial. Richard Fosters Celebration of Discipline provides a wonderful road map for
tuning ourselves tohearthe broadcast of theHolySpirit.Idliketoshareasmallsnippetfrom
hischapteronPrayer

We should never make prayer too complicated...Jesus taught us to come like

children to afather.Openness,honestyandtrustmark achilds communication
with his father. Thereisanintimacybetweenparentandchildthathasroomfor
bothseriousnessandlaughter.

Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread a child asks for breakfast in utter
confidence that it will be provided. He has no need to stash away todays
pancakes for fearnone will be available tomorrow as far as he isconcerned,
there is an endless supply of pancakes. A child does not find it difficult or
complicated to talk to his father, nor does he feel embarrassed to bring the
simplestneedtohisattention.

Children teachus the value of imagination. As withmeditation,theimagination

is a powerful tool in the work of prayer. We may be reticent to pray with the
imagination, feeling that it is slightly beneath us. Children have no such
reticence. Neither did St. Teresa of Avila:This was my method of prayerasI
could not make reflections with my understanding, so I contrived to picture
Christ within me...I did many simple things of this kind...I believe my soul
gained very much in this way, because I began to practice prayer without
knowing what it was. In
Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw, Joan of Arc

insisted that she heard voices which came from God. She was informed by
skeptics that the voices came from her imagination. Unmoved Joan replied,
Yes,thatishowGodspeakstome.

Imagination opens the door to faith. If we can see in our minds eye a
shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to
believingthatitwillbeso.

We have so much to learn,so far to go. Certainly the yearningofourheartsis

summed up by Archbishop Tait when he said, I want a lifeofgreater,deeper,
truerprayer.

IrecentlyreadthischapteronprayerandfeltastronginclinationtoprayforAnthony(Foster
mentionsprayingforyourchildrenwhiletheysleep).SoEllynnandIprayedforhimandI
imaginedJesushandonAnthonyremovinganymemoryorimpactfromthedaythathad
beentraumaticandfillthespaceswithHisloveAnthonyisstilltimidwhenitcomesto
playingwithotherkidshisageandsometimesresultsinhimhavingamildfreakout.SoI
wantedGodtoremovethattendencyandfearandinstead,forAnthonytofeelprotectedby
Godsloveevenifanothertwoyearoldripsatoyoutofhishands:)

ItwasabriefyetprofoundmomentofsensinganudgefromtheHolySpirit(quietingmyself
downtolisten)andrespondinginfaith(usingmyimaginationasIsoughtGodsmercyfor
Anthony).

WhatwouldhappenisthisbecameacommoninteractionwiththeHolySpirit?

WouldnotourintimacywithGodincreaseaswehearHisheartonamoreregularbasis?
Wouldnotourprayerlifeincreasewithfaithaswebreakawayfromrigidorpatternedhabits
ofprayerroutine?Wouldnotthecasualbystander,walkingtheoppositedirectionontheMain
Green,becomeaninstantrecipientforustocalldownshowersofblessingsinourspiritaswe
passbywithawelcomingsmile?Andfinally

WouldnotsuchconsistentprayerfulinteractionwiththeLordofourliveseasethis
upcomingfarewellfromMr.andMrs.VanWinkleGate?

Summary|
1. Listening toGod and Prayer can becomeroutine andcompartmentalizedweneedto
determine for ourselves a willingness to notlimitourexperiencewithGod.Hegaveus
our senses and imagination we can seek Him with childlike faith through whatHes
givenus.
2. If this would then lead to a greater consistency and intimacy with God, major life
transitions (like graduation) become an attractive opportunity to walk through hand in

hand with the Holy Spirit rather than an anxiety ridden situation to be feared. (
Perfect
lovedrivesoutfear
)

EngagetheDiscussionTopics|
ChallengeanotherSeniortotakethenextdayandmakeaconcertedefforttolisten
andpraycreativelythroughouttheday.Meetupsoonaftertotalkthroughwhat
happen.Encourageeachothertopursuealifestyleoflisteningandrespondingtothe
HolySpirit.
Scripturetomeditateon
ThereforeItellyou,whateveryouaskforinprayer,believe
thatyouhavereceivedit,anditwillbeyours.
Mark11:24

Prayingforlargerears,
~YourSeniorYear