Comments

14 responses to “The Warfare of Prayer”

1. 

   nancy

   February 24, 2008

   Dear Fr. Stephen,

   Such wise words. I think that converts who come from the “Bible study” landscape long for engagement with prayer and seek contact or communion with God, but they have no real “model” or example other than their own former experience which frequently is as you describe–saying yes to God but missing the true communion. I have noticed that many times cradle Orthodox in my own Church are frequently confused by others’ “need” for Bible study. It seems to me that the liturgical year of the Church (such as witnessed today in the Prodigal Son parable) has provided those cradle Orthodox Christians with ample Biblical examples of the words of our Lord, and as Lent progresses, those who listen will find ample readings from Old and New Testament which lead them in meaningful directions.

   These comments are not meant to denigrate study of the Scriptures, but simply to highlight what you have been saying about “busyness” as a substitute for what the Church teaches us about a life of prayer, penance, alms, fasting and true communion with God. Let us all pray that guided by our Holy Church, we will find this life in Christ during the Lenten season.

2. 

   fatherstephen

   February 24, 2008

   Without a doubt the finest combination of Bible Study and prayer will come with the first week of Lent as we pray the Great Canon of St. Andrew. I provides both in deep measure.

3. 

   Deb Seeger

   February 24, 2008

   I have found that keeping a prayer journal with dates of the inception and the date of the known answer to the initial petition builds my faith in prayer immensely. Sometimes I go back to 10 , 20, 30 yrs old journals and my faith to press onward in the face of opposition in my prayer life for others and even myself is confirmed and I can privately reap the rewards. Keeping a journal is somewhat comparable to the old testament when they built stone alters to remember what the Lord our God has done. THANK YOU, Fr. Stephen for reminding me and stirring this item in my recent wavering faith– to not give up. You are a blessing and I appreciate your postings.

4. 

   Lucy

   February 25, 2008

   I too come from a tradition that does not understand prayer as well. I struggle to pray, in all honesty. I want to, I know God wants me to, but it is so hard sometimes. It has helped tremendously to have the prayers of the church, but it still feels strange to pray the prayers of others. I always find myself putting it off (even just morning and evening and the hours) because I’m intimidated by it. I don’t know if I’m afraid of somehow offending God or if it’s just pride and I don’t want to do it “wrong.” I feel bad about my inability to establish a prayer rule, my lack of motivation and follow-through. Believe me, I’ve brought this to my priest in confession. It scares me, honestly. If I don’t want to talk to God now, why would I want to when I die? I guess it makes me feel better that a Desert Father says it’s a battle. That means it’s not just me. 🙂

   Thank you Father, for reminding me of the purpose of prayer and its importance.

5. 

   FrGregACCA

   February 25, 2008

   There is always the “Jesus Prayer”: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”.

   Or the words of Scripture, particularly the Psalms:

   “O God make speed to save me; O Lord make haste to help me.”

   “O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.”

   and

   “Thy will, not mine, be done.”

   Those of us who grew up in certain traditions were frequently reminded of our Lord’s admonition against “vain repetition,” but not all repetition is vain, and we are called to “pray without ceasing”.

6. 

   wanderer7

   February 25, 2008

   The purpose of prayer is nothing other than communion of God and man. Salvation itself is the restoration of this communion. The Christian life is to be a continual growth in communion with God.”

   this sounds like meditation to me

   “Though such a relationship is clearly taught by Scripture and by Christian tradition – it is frequently not known or taught in some Christian circles. It is an absence that empties the Christian life of its true content.”

   the Gnostics, or the mystical Chrstians, were systematically suppressed by the Catholic church

   you have written a very insightful post

   thank you

7. 

   fatherstephen

   February 25, 2008

   I have read gnostic writings – they weren’t the mystical Christians – they were simply wrong and heretical. Orthodox Christianity was not surpressed and has always maintained the understanding of union with God as the purpose of salvation. Gnosticism disappeared for good reason – it’s not Christianity.

8. 

   mrh

   February 25, 2008

   Those of us who grew up in certain traditions were frequently reminded of our Lord’s admonition against “vain repetition,” but not all repetition is vain

   But our Lord made no such admonition; “vain repetition” is a just plain wrong translation. The Greek polylogia implies neither “repetition” nor “vain”-ness.

9. 

   fatherstephen

   February 25, 2008

   mrh,

   very good point. I find that the Jesus Prayer is about as far removed from “vain” as anything I’ve ever known.

10. 

    Martha

    February 25, 2008

    Father, asking for your blessing.

    I feel that struggling in our prayer life is probably very normal and possibly even a good sign. My strict Catholic upbringing, in which the nuns made us memorize and recite many prayers, helped me a great deal when I became Orthodox. Yet it took me a further decade or more until my prayer life became something living and joyful. A turning point for me was when I forced myself to recite the Trisagion prayers consistently.

    These prayers had always been a stumbling block to me. They are recited so quickly in our church, as if they need to be gotten out of the way so that we can get to the important stuff. The repetition seems, if not vain, then surely tiring. It was only after many months of forcing myself to concentrate on the Trisagion prayers as the foundation for my prayer time that I began to appreciate their importance.

    I feel like the Trisagion prayers open a door in my heart to a place where I can begin to really speak to God. I have also benefited enormously from praying the Canon of Repentance and an Akathist to the Theotokos on a regular basis. These prayers have the affect of opening my heart so that it feels larger and warmer – it’s hard to describe.

    Another good thing for me was when I stopped asking for stuff. I stopped viewing prayers as a visit to the spiritual help-desk and just prayed the prayers in my prayer book with no aim or objective. On those occasions when I have asked for things, the Lord has heard my prayer; and for me, this is where the struggle intensifies. No matter how fervent my supplication was and no matter how good my intentions are, inevitably, I fail to give thanks. It is as if I am always intercepted at this point and I have come to believe that the evil one must truly hate our expressions of thanksgiving to God. I have tried to resolve this in part by giving thanks along the way – not waiting for an opportunity to light the candles and arrange the icons but to thank God in my heart for all things, as if I may not get another chance to do so.

    Even as I write this with all sincerity, I feel as if I am setting myself up for failure and set back in my prayer life; but I thought it might help to share it with others who are struggling and preparing for Great Lent.

    As always, Father, thank you so much for your guidance and kindness.

    — Martha

11. 

    fatherstephen

    February 25, 2008

    Martha,

    May God bless. Nothing can be harder, I think, than the consistent giving of thanks, but I believe it is the greatest victory in prayer. May God you give grace to give thanks for all things.

12. 

    James

    February 26, 2008

    Father Bless,

    I would like to ask something related to what Martha has said. I am OO, and like in your communion, we have lengthy daily prayers that the Church and her fathers have prepared. The prayers are beautiful and full of joy in a way no spontaneous prayer could be .

    I know that a disciplined prayer life can be built through following the rhythms of the Church. And I try to say my morning and evening office regularly, my problem is that often I feel that I am just going through the motions, I miss the joy and peace I feel when I spend some time alone in silent prayer.

    How can one ensure that the same joy and peace can be felt when one is saying the daily offices?

13. 

    fatherstephen

    February 26, 2008

    James,

    If you have good spiritual direction , time alone in silent prayer can indeed have more joy. It’s good, however, in such an undertaking to have a knowledgable spiritual father to help protect ourselves from delusion.

14. 

    Marianne

    March 6, 2008

    I agree. The Western approach is to join in group prayer, praise and worship on Sunday and then go home. Getting alone with God does not happen as much as it should. The rest of the week, He is just a passing thought. TV or work consumes their time.

    But it is the quiet time that deepens us, even if God is silent. But even though we wish to hear His voice, and we may not, His presence is there and we can feel it.

    But when He finally speaks, it is something that stays with us forever. It can carry us for years, just one thought or word from Him. And sometimes, the waiting for this one word can be as much a blessing as the final receipt of it. Because when it finally comes, we have been changed.

    God bless you
    marianne