This email on prayer (Reposting)
Are You Having Trouble Praying? This is for You.
I noticed that the Our Father shows us a 4-Step Pattern that we can follow when we pray: (1) Worship, (2) Word, (3) Wish, and (4) Wash.
When you say, Our Father who are in Heaven, Holy be Your name, this is WORSHIP.
When you say, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, this is the WORD.
When you say, Give us this day our daily bread, this is WISH.
When you say, Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sins against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, that is WASH.
It's not a rigid pattern because prayer is relationship—and relationships aren't rigid. But it's a magnificent guide to a wonderful relationship.
Worship, Word, Wish, Wash
Nor is it really 4 minutes. It can be 4 minutes, or 8 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes… But if you've never done this before, 4 minutes is an awesome START. And let God lead you from there.
My definition of Worship is very different from how others define worship. Worship isn't loving God as much as it is allowing God to love us. Worship is Welcome. It is God welcoming us to His giant Heart of Love; Worship is swimming in that ocean of love. Because God doesn't need our worship. We do! Because worship opens up our lives to His love.
How do we worship? There are many ways.
Thanksgiving: Simply count your blessings. Be grateful to God. Gratitude is a powerful magnet that attracts even more blessings into your life.
Singing: The worship songs we sing today are modern Psalms. Learn the songs we sing at the Feast and sing them in your own personal appointment with God.
Reading the Psalms: For centuries, monks have been chanting the Psalms 7 times a day. Priests and nuns still read the Psalms as their way of worshipping God.
Rosary: Centuries ago, many people wanted to imitate the monks when they read the 150 Psalms in the Bible. But at that time, 95% of the population couldn't read. So the monks designed the Rosary so people can pray 150 Hail Marys instead of 150 Psalms—50 for each of the three original mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious). These Hail Marys aren't the focus but rather act like "background music” as our minds reflect on the life of Jesus. (Many think that the Rosary is a prayer to Mary; It's not; It's a prayer centered on Jesus—with Mary praying with us.)
Mass: This is the highest form of worship, the center of our faith, the ultimate way we remember God's love for us. My parents went to Mass everyday for 60+ years. This was their Appointment with God.
The real battlefield of your life is in your mind.
If you win in the battlefield of your mind, you win in the battlefield of your life. That's why the Bible says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
How do you know if you've renewed your mind? Easy. If you see things the way God sees things, if you think the way God thinks, and if you love the way He loves… then you know, your mind is being renewed.
And the only way to do this is to SATURATE your mind with His Word.
Ravi Zacharias tells the story of Hien Pham, his Vietnamese English Translator he met in Vietnam in 1971. When the communists took over the country, they threw Hien in jail because he was a Christian. In prison, they gave him only 2 books by Karl Marx—a French version and a Vietnamese version. They indoctrinated him and tried to brainwash him.
After many difficult months in prison, Hien's spirit began to wilt. He became depressed and lost all hope. One dark night, he told God, "Maybe this is all a lie. Maybe God does not exist. This will be the last time I will pray to you!”
The next morning, the warden told him to clean the prison toilets. It was the most dreaded chore. The toilet smelled so bad, Hien had to cover his face and nose with a towel the entire time. After mopping the floor, in the dirty tin can filled with toilet paper, he saw a torn piece of paper with English Words. Hien grabbed it, washed it, and stuffed it in his pocket.
That night in bed, when everyone was asleep, beneath the mosquito net, Hien got his a flashlight and pulled out the piece of paper. He discovered it was a torn page of the Bible; It said Romans 8. Trembling, his tears rolling down his cheeks, he read, All things will work for good to those who love God… Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ… (Romans 8:28, 39)
Hien said, "Lord, you wouldn't even let me separate from you for one day!”
The next day, he asked the warden to assign him again to clean the toilets; While cleaning, in the trash, he saw another torn page of the Bible; he washed it and put it in his pocket; He realized, that one of the prison guards was using the Bible as toilet paper; and so everyday, Hien would get the torn paper, wash it, and keep it in his pocket.
And in the evening, inside his mosquito net, he would read God's Word; Each day, he was adding to his collection of pages. And that was his spiritually nourishment everyday.
After a few years, Hien was released from prison. He started building a boat so he could escape with 53 other people.
But one day, 4 Vietnamese soldiers came and pulled him aside, "Someone told us that you are building a boat. Is this true?” He lied and said, "No, I'm not building a boat.” "You want to escape!” they said. "No, I'm not escaping…” He said again.
But on the day he was to sail, Hien prayed, "Lord, I'm sorry I lied. If you want me to tell the truth, let those soldiers come to me again before I finally go.”
An hour before he boarded the boat, the 4 soldiers came, pulled him by the collar, and asked, "You're escaping aren't you?”
Hien said, "Yes, with 53 others. Are you going to put me in prison?”
The 4 men said, "No, we want to go with you.”
And in that dangerous trip at sea that lasted for weeks, amidst the strong storms and fierce waves that could have killed them all, do you know who were their saviors? It turned out that those 4 soldiers were great seamen! They steered the boat to safety. Without those 4 men, no one would have survived.
They landed in Thailand, got refugee status, and became immigrants in Canada.
One day, Hien spoke to Ravi's children. He said, "In your pursuit of success, you will be tempted to lie, to cheat, to be greedy… Don't do that. The success that you seek is found in God alone.”
God's Word—in torn pages—sustained this man and nourished his heart in prison. I believe God's Word will sustain you and nourish your heart during your most difficult hours as well. Read it with spiritual hunger. Make it precious to you.
Always Ask, "What Is God Telling Me?”
Let me give some practical details…
Read the Bible: I suggest you follow the daily Mass Readings so you're in line with the Church Calendar. Grab a Daily Bible Reading Guide such Companion, Didache, Gabay, or Sabbath atwww.KerygmaBooks.com/shop. (I'm biased; I publish these 4 guides.) Or sign up at KerygmaFamily.com and you'll receive the daily Mass Readings in your inbox. If you're just starting out, just read the Gospel for the day. Or even just one verse of that Gospel. Even if you read the entire reading, pick ONE VERSE that hits home in your heart and ask, "God, what are you telling me today?” The answer to that question is the most important part of reading the Bible. The Bible says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Write a Journal: After reading the Bible readings, you may write your reflections and prayers.
Reading Spiritual Books and Listening to Spiritual Talks: I love reading. Every morning, I take time out to read a spiritual book and "converse” with God about what I'm reading. If you're not a reader, get Audio and Video Talks that will inspire you and make you grow.
One day, a boat sunk and three survivors swam to an island. For 6 months, these three men lived together, feeding on coconuts and fish. One day, one of them found a bottle floating in the water. When he opened the bottle, a Genie came out. The magical man in a turban said to them, "As gratitude for freeing me, I'll grant each of you one wish.”
All of them jumped up for joy. One man said, "Oh please Genie, I wish to go back to my family in Manila!” And POOF! He was gone.
The second man said, "Oh please Genie, I wish to go back to my family in Cebu!” And POOF! He was gone.
The third man said, "Gee… After six months of being together with those guys, I miss them already. I wish we would see each other one last time…” And POOF! The two guys appeared again in the island.
And the Genie disappeared.
What's the problem with our story? The Genie gave them only three wishes. But in God, there is NO scarcity of miracles. God doesn't just give you three wishes. You can make as many wishes as you want. You can pray for as many miracles as you want. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).
Because God is a God of abundance.
You can do two things in WISH…
Declare your Dreams: Get your Novena to God's Love and read anew your Dreams. Or read the mission statements you made. Or lift up your Dream Board.
Intercede for Others: Praying for others is powerful. Pray for your family, your friends, your customers, the people you're serving in your ministry, and anyone asking for prayers. Some people think that intercession is reminding God to bless certain people, in case He forgets. Which is nuts. He never forgets. The reality is that God loves the person you're praying for, much more than you do. So yes, He already has sent blessings to that person. But when you intercede for them, you're sending your love to that person. And love is the operating force of this universe. Love is powerful. I can't explain it, but when you send love, you open that person's life to more blessings!
In the last part of your prayer, allow God's Love to heal you, purify you, and remove anything that hinders your growth.
Ask God, "Show me how I can love more. Point out areas in my life that don't represent you. Convict me of places in my heart where I don't follow you.” We need God's help to do this. We have many blind spots. The Bible says our faults our hidden. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. (Psalms 19:12). We can't see our errors—so we pray that God show them to us.
Catholics call this the Examination of Conscience. It's like taking a spiritual bath everyday where you repent and receive His love.
Very important: The focus is NOT how bad you are; the focus is on how good God is; The focus is NOT your sins; the focus is on God's saving Love. Because what you focus on grows.
The fruit of prayer is NOT wonderful feelings; The fruit of prayer is to become to become like Jesus. And that's why the fourth step, WASH, is very important.
Conclusion: "I Don't Know How to Pray!”
In my home office, I have a special drawer where I keep a huge envelope—which I call my treasure chest. A various times, I find myself opening that envelope and reading the contents inside. When I do, I feel warmth in my chest, I get a lump in my throat, and I get teary eyed.
What do I read? That envelope contains all the love letters and cards of my boys. Birthday cards, Christmas Cards cards, and Father's Day cards.
The crazy thing about those love letters and cards is that they're awful. The words aren't spelled correctly. The lines aren't straight. The drawings aren't clean. There are smudges. Erasures. Mistakes. But I look at those cards and say, "They're more beautiful than Leonard da Vinci's Mona Lisa.”
Why? In my heart, the gift is not as important as the giver. If I love the giver of the gift, then I love the gift.
Friend, don't worry about your weaknesses and failures. God knows them. Give your broken self as your gift to God. With your stains, blemishes, and pockmarks included.
One day, a middle-aged man came up to me and said, "Bo, I really don't know how to pray. I envy you. You pray so fluently. So spontaneously. I don't know how you do it. When I pray, I can't think of the right words to say…”
I told him, "That's okay. Prayer isn't about words. Prayer is about welcome. Prayer is God welcoming you to His love, welcoming you to His heart.”
Talk to Him and call Him Daddy.
And let God's love do the rest.
May your dreams come true,
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