God is Near

In the stillness,
In the quiet,
In the heaviness of life,
I search for you.

Grant me patience,
Grant me calmness,
Quiet my spirit,
Allow me to rest in your presence.

Relieve my fears,
Banish my anxiety,
Remove all obstacles
That keep me from your grace.

And may my prayers
Lift from my heart
And find your company.

Amen.

The prayer above was written as I read the Yancey book, Prayer. As I finished chapter 20, I wrote it in the margin at the end.

Also from that chapter, I wrote down a few quotes:

• Listening is an art, and I must learn to listen to God.
• Our job is to remain attached, to abide.
• Ninety percent of prayer is showing up
• Without prayer, my attention moves to my own preoccupations.
• The power of prayer has helped recreate me.

Some mornings my prayers are connected to God, and they take me closer to God, as if I am on wings. Other times, nothing like that happens, and I have to struggle to concentrate, to even form prayers.

I was in the little chapel once in the church in Ashland, with Steve, JtM and MT. We were taking a few moments to prayer before a worship service. I don't even remember what the four of us prayed. What I remember the most is that we were in the presence of God. He was with us, and the most important part of our prayer time together was just that we "showed up." The most important part was that the four of us had taken the time to come together, and that we had met God in that room.

My reunion group has started a new tradition. At the end of each meeting, we join hands and pray. I have been surprised at how easy it is -- by easy, I mean relaxed. It truly feels as if we have invited God into the room, he has pulled up a chair, and we are spending time with him. During the first time we did this, I remember laughing. Joy. How great is it to find joy in prayer?

When we gather together and experience the presence of God -- the joy of God -- I think we can safely assume that God is pleased.

Image from Hermanoleon Clipart.