The Logos Prayer: May 2015

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

My Strength and My Shield

Where is God?

Some people think of God as "out there" - in Heaven, on a throne, far away.

Others think of God as "right here" - in their hearts, in their heads, in their homes.

The truth is that both are right. God is everywhere. God is here and there, within and without. He is the One "in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)." We have "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6)." God is "all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28)."

Just as God is both here and there, God is also inside us and outside us. Psalm 28:6-9 (ESV) shows both God who is internal to us and external to us.

6 Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

In verse 7, "Strength" represents God's internal quality, His vital energy inside every believer. "Shield" depicts God's presence around the believer, providing protection and security.

Also in verse 7, trust is an internal action, responding to an internal faith that can only be a gift from God. Help is an external resource from God.

Again in verse 7, the heart exults internally, but externally gives its expression in song.

In verse 8, again we see that God is both the internal strength and the external refuge of his anointed. Anointing itself is applied from the outside, facilitating an inward change.

So God is here and there, inside and outside, blessing God's people and heritage forever.

Today's meditation, using the Protestant Prayer Beads, highlights both the internal and external qualities of God's power. As you do this meditation, focus on your slow breathing. As you inhale, be aware of God's presence inside you. As you exhale, feel God's shield around you.

Invitatory - v. 6
Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

Cruciform - v. 7b
My heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.

Weeks - v. 7a
Inhale - The Lord is my strength
Exhale - and my shield;
Inhale - In him my heart trusts,
Exhale - and I am helped;

Benedictory - vv. 8-9
The Lord is the strength of his people;
    he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
    Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

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About Protestant Prayer Beads

Protestant (or Anglican, or Ecumenical) prayer beads are a great way to pray through God's word, without getting caught up in self-centered prayers or getting distracted by extraneous thoughts. Many people say that the tactile stimulation of using prayer beads keeps them focused on their prayers.

Most of the meditations on this website utilize the Ecumenical Prayer Bead format. These meditations also include devotional thoughts based on God's word.

About the prayer beads, King of Peace's website says:

Anglican Prayer Beads are a relatively new form of prayer, blending the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope and the Roman Catholic Rosary. The thirty-three bead design was created by the Rev. Lynn Bauman in the mid-1980s, through the prayerful exploration and discovery of a contemplative prayer group.

Unlike the Roman Catholic rosary, these prayer beads do not promote appeals to Mary and the saints. Protestants should have no worries in using these, as they simply utilize repetition of scripture and scripture-based prayers.

Quiet Time with Jesus: Lectio Divina

Whenever I teach Christian spirituality, I like to use the ancient framework of Lectio Divina (Latin: "Divine Reading). At one time, all Christians were taught the practice of Lectio Divina, but it was kept alive in the monastic tradition. It's a way of fully absorbing the Word of God, waiting on God, and praying God's word back to Him. As an example, I often use Psalm 136 to teach this practice.

There are four steps in Lectio Divina. These praying person should flow freely from one step to another, effortlessly and patiently. Personally, I like to spend about an hour in this practice.

**The fist step is Lectio, or "Reading."**
Let your prayer time begin with the Bible. Choose a scripture and read it deliberately and unhurriedly. I like to read it phrase-by-phrase, moving my lips as if I were speaking the words slowly, yet without prouncing them fully. This allows me to take time with the words, rather than skimming the verses. When you reach the end of your exhale, inhale slowly and take time to reflect on what you've just read, before you continue with your next exhale.

When you've finished reading the scripture the first time, read it again. Ask God to show you a word or a phrase that stands out from that scripture. Don't look for an entire verse--this is too long. Look for something shorter than that, just a word, or short phrase. This will be God's special gift to you.

Then, repeat the scripture again. Read it through several times. If you've carved out an hour for Lectio Divina, then make this about 1/4 of that hour.

Today, I've chosen Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 in order to give you an example of this.
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever...

23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
I use this passage because it's easy to tell which phrase stands out above the rest. "His love endures forever" becomes a message that, being repeated over and over, works its way from your head to your heart. By the time you're done repeating this scripture, you fully grasp that God's love endures forever.

**The second step is Meditatio, or "Meditation."**
Take this word or phrase that you've found in Scripture (in this case, "His love endures forever," and repeat it to yourself. Breathe in slowly, whispering the phrase. Breathe out slowly, whispering the phrase. Repeat this for several minutes. Personally, I like to do this for fifteen minutes or so, if I'm doing Lectio Divina for an hour. Just allow the phrase to sink in.

Some Christians are opposed to repetition, citing Jesus' injunction against "vain repetition (Matthew 6:7)." "Vain" means pointless or ego-centric, and this repetition is neither of those things. It's a way of breaking through to my stony heart. Jacob Riis writes in Reader's Digest: "I look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it splits in two. I know it was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before." God's word is like that. Repeat it enough, and it finally breaks through.

As a side note: Some people will use the word mantra to describe this repetition of a word or phrase. I never use this term, since mantras stem from the Hindu tradition, and what I'm talking about is decidedly Christian. Hindus believe their mantras to possess an esoteric quality, resonating with divine frequencies and effecting spiritual dimensions by their mystical resonance. Mantras are believed to have nearly the same qualities as a magic spell. The only similarity between a Christian's repetition of scripture, and a Hindu's mantra is the fact that it's a repeated word. Instead, I use the term Logos Prayer to describe this repeated word or phrase. Simply repeat this word that God has given you, back to Him. And in the process, He will give it back to you again, letting it break through your stony heart.

**The third step is Oratio, or "Prayer."**
If you've allowed an hour for the entire process of Lectio Divina, then spend about fifteen minutes in prayer. But don't just go through your prayer list. Instead, pray about the word or phrase that God has given you. In this case, our phrase is "His love endures forever." So, spend your prayer time talking with God about His enduring love. Thank Him for it. Praise Him for it. Ask Him for more of it. Give your enduring love back to Him. Ask Him to give enduring love to others. Let God's enduring love be the theme of this prayer. This is a free-form prayer time, without any script, without any right or wrong way to pray. Just allow the Logos Prayer to flow freely. If you wish, you might mark your transition from prayer to contemplation with the simply phrase, "In Jesus' name, amen."

**The fourth step is Contemplatio, or "Contemplation."**
Simply put, contemplation is resting in the "amen." Instead of letting your "amen" mean "Ok, I'm done praying now, so I'm going to hang up the phone," spend about a quarter-hour resting in it. "Amen" means "let it be." It is a word of simple reliance, trust, and resting in God's ability to do all that you could ever ask or imagine. Psalm 46:10 (NIV) says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Contemplation is being still, waiting on God, trusting God to complete what He has begun in you. Contemplation is uncomplicated in that it involves no reading, no repeating, no forming your own thoughts into words. It is simple resting in God's presence.

The thing to remember when practicing contemplative prayer is that it's not about you. In fact, in contemplative prayer, the ultimate goal is to empty one's self and be in God's presence. This doesn't mean that you're "opening your soul to whatever spirit wants to come in," as some people have suggested. It means that you're emptying yourself of ego, realizing that "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20 NIV)." Instead of filling your mind with the things that you want or think, simply rest in the passive attitude of a person who truly means it when they say "amen." Let it be.

You may find your mind wandering as you sit in silence, trying to think nothing and simply listening for God's still, small, voice. If this happens, simply say your Logos Prayer once. Don't repeat it as before. Just say it once, allowing it to bring you back to a place of silence. Sit quietly. Trust God. Listen to God. Let God fill you.

Many Christians say that their prayer life is boring--a routine of going through their prayer list and saying "amen" before they get about the business of their day. Lectio Divina is an ancient prayer method that refreshes your soul every day. Instead of being self-centered, this practice is God-centered. I invite you to try it for yourself, and see how your relationship with the Lord will grow.

Training Wheels for Prayer

A friend of mine wants to learn how to pray. She grew up in the church, learned the Lord’s Prayer, and is still lost on how to pray. She’s gone to the bookstore and seen the shelves full of books on prayer, but they all seem so complex. When she was still an unbeliever she started asking me about prayer, because she didn’t know how to approach God as a non-Christian. Now that she’s received the Lord, her relationship with Him has changed. But her desire for simplicity in prayer remains the same. Maybe you’re the same way. You desire truth in the inmost parts. You desire wisdom in the inmost place of your life.[i] Truth and wisdom are found best in simplicity. Complexity muddles the understanding.

If you want to learn to pray, it’s best to go back to the beginning. Forget the complicated methods you may have learned. Forget the formulas and formats. Go back to the beginning. Go back to the Word. By praying the Word you’ll learn how to make your quiet time with Jesus the most precious time of the day. You’ll get to the point where you’d rather have your quiet time than anything else. Jesus will come first in your life, and you’ll long for that sweet hour of prayer.

Some time ago, I invited my congregation to take their prayer time more seriously. I asked them to covenant with me, for a time, to pray for an hour a day. To my delight, more people accepted the challenge than I anticipated. Those who joined me in this prayer commitment received a daily encouraging email. I even had one gentleman join me from his prison cell. Though he couldn’t receive email, I sent him a weekly digest that he could read day by day. Through this hour of prayer, his prison cell became his monastery. Others told me how they, too, had been set free from sterile prayer procedures and had really learned how to connect with God. What I taught them wasn’t a new innovative technique—it was a way of praying that is as old as Christianity itself. I taught them to pray God’s Word.

Praying the Word of God is like a good set of training wheels. When my son learned to ride his bike for the first time, I put extra little wheels on that Schwinn of his so he wouldn’t fall over. Now, he’s grown out of his training wheels and can ride by himself. But I don’t think we ever grow out of training wheels when we learn to pray. We need help, because we don’t know how to pray as we ought. Fortunately, we have many resources ready to help us in prayer.

First, the apostle Paul tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”[ii] So the Holy Spirit is like the parent who runs alongside the kid who’s learning to ride his bike. The Spirit points us in the right direction, keeps us upright and on the right path, and if we do fall down, interprets our prayers according to God’s perfect will. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, we would never learn how to keep our balance.

Second, we have the example of Christians who have gone before us. Paul says to his protégé Timothy, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”[iii] You may have been guided by parents, pastors, teachers, friends, and others who led you to this point in your faith. You have heard the way that they pray, and their prayers have informed your own prayer life. If you pay attention, you may find yourself using phrases in prayer that you picked up from them. Perhaps you were taught to pray by using a liturgical prayer book. In the same way that some have learned to pray by listening to others, you learned by reading words penned by others. Praise God for prayer books—they have helped many grow closer to the Lord.

Third, we have a better prayer book—the Word of God. When you learn to pray God’s Word, you’ll wean yourself off of copying prayers written by professionals or spoken by friends. You’ll be able to pray God’s Word, and know God’s power in prayer.

The difference between learning to ride a bike and learning to pray is that once you’ve learned to ride, you quit learning and just ride. Once you’ve learned to pray, you keep growing and keep learning, and you always need your training wheels. You might learn to let go of prayer books and emulating great prayer leaders, but you never leave behind the Holy Spirit or finding inspiration in God’s Word.

When I invited people to pray for an hour a day, many happily joined me in the journey. I was amazed, however, at the number of folks who approached me saying, “I’d like to, but I just don’t think I could pray for an hour a day.” They were glad to sing the hymn in church, but they just couldn’t imagine a “Sweet Hour of Prayer” in real life. That’s because they envisioned spending an hour with their eyes closed, asking God for stuff. This book is written to show that prayer can be so much more!

What you read in this blog will revitalize your prayer life, if you let it. You’ll look forward to your quiet time with Jesus each day. On the days when you don’t have your quiet time (let’s get real), you’ll feel like you really missed out. You won’t approach your time with Jesus as many did when they first accepted my challenge, saying, “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this hour, but here goes.” Instead, when your kitchen timer goes off you’ll say, “Has an hour passed already?” Indeed, you’ll have more than a sweet hour of prayer. You’ll have a life of prayer.

[i] Psalm 51:6 NIV

[ii] Romans 8:26 NIV

[iii] 2 Timothy 1:6 NIV

What is the Logos Prayer?

Simply put, the Logos Prayer is praying God's word. I believe that God's word doesn't just have power. God's word is power to transform your life. If God could form the world with just a word, then His word also has power to shape your thinking and change your life.

Certainly, there are many kinds of prayer. The purpose of this blog isn't to cover every type of prayer, but to teach you to pray God's word in a life-altering way.

The Logos Prayer doesn't approach your devotion as a perfunctory inspirational message that you read before bed. It doesn't focus on your prayer time as a list of requests, but as an appointment with the One who sees the depths of your heart and mind and refashions your life to make you more like Jesus.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The Logos Prayer does just that--it renews your mind. It isn't simple rote recitation of scripture, but a way of letting God's word sink into you.

Look at it this way: If you have a long nail that you want to hammer into a thick block of wood, you're going to have to hit it over and over again. If you're like me, then your heart can be a bit wooden, too. You need something powerful to transform you. Praying God's word through meaningful repetition hammers God's word into your heart and mind, transforming you from the inside out.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

My Strength and My Shield