Prayer That Keeps You Rooted

What's prayer all about for you? Is it about getting stuff from God? Is it a divine 911 call-line? Is it just one more thing to feel guilty about not doing? Is it a source of skepticism and disappointment?

As a Christian who wants to make a difference for God and for good, you kinda hafta be a praying person. How could you be a Christian leader, a minister of Jesus, a priest who mediates between God and humanity if you don't do much meditation? If you're not talking to God much, how can you help others become rooted in him? If you're not doing much listening to Him, why should anyone do any listening to you?

I get it: you're stuck between the desire to help - you have a caring heart, BUT you're also busy and don't have a lot of time to give to praying, you have a lot on your mind, and you're often tempted to disbelieve that praying makes a big difference. Am I close? Is this you? It's sometimes me.

These words from Henri Nouwen about contemplative prayer and Christian leaders - it's what I needed to hear today:

Christian leaders cannot simply be persons who have well-informed opinions about the burning issues of our time. Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the incarnate Word, Jesus, and they need to find there the source for their words, advice, and guidance.

Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christians leaders have to learn to listen again and again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them. Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness, because before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion about a given subject.

But when we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and true witnesses without being manipulative.
~ In the Name of Jesus, pg31-32

Most of us are one step away from contemplative prayer. We already worry. We obsess. We go over stuff in our head. We lay awake at night mulling things over, trying to figure out what is going on and what to do next. Contemplative prayer includes God in on what you've got going inside your mind already. You're thinking about something with your kids. Include God in on it. Your marriage is causing confusion. Include God in on it. Work or school is a source of anxiety. Include God in on your swirling thoughts.

Contemplative prayer keeps you rooted in what God is doing already - in you, through you, in others. Direct your deep and constant concerns towards God. He listens to you, and then you...listen...to...him.... To know God is to trust him, to be rooted in him. To lead and love in the name of Jesus is to listen to Him.