Day 37 - Thursday, April 2
Rung #28: ON PRAYER: A HEAVEN OF THE MIND
Scriptures: Ephesians 6:18; Phillippians 4:6-7; James 5:16
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 

Poetry:
Hymn: Thou Hidden Love of God|
by Gerhard Tersteegen
Translated by John Wesley 

Thou hidden love of God, whose height, 
  Whose depth unfathom’d no man knows, 
I see from far thy beauteous light, 
  Inly I sigh for thy repose; 
My heart is pain’d, nor can it be 
At rest, till it finds rest in thee. 

Thy secret voice invites me still, 
      The sweetness of thy yoke to prove: 
And fain I would: but tho’ my will 
      Seem fix’d, yet wide my passions rove; 
Yet hindrances strew all the way; 
I aim at thee, yet from thee stray. 

’Tis mercy all, that thou hast brought 
      My mind to seek her peace in thee; 
Yet while I seek, but find thee not, 
      No peace my wand’ring soul shall see; 
O when shall all my wand’rings end, 
And all my steps to thee-ward tend! 

Is there a thing beneath the sun 
      That strives with thee my heart to share? 
Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone, 
      The Lord of ev’ry motion there; 
Then shall my heart from earth be free, 
When it hath found repose in thee. 

O hide this self from me, that I 
      No more, but Christ in me may live; 
My vile affections crucify, 
      Nor let one darling lust survive; 
In all things nothing may I see, 
Nothing desire or seek but thee. 

O Love, thy sov’reign aid impart, 
      To save me from low-thoughted care: 
Chase this self-will thro’ all my heart, 
      Thro’ all its latent mazes there: 
Make me thy duteous child, that I 
Ceaseless may Abba, Father, cry! 

Ah no! ne’er will I backward turn: 
      Thine wholly, thine alone I am! 
Thrice happy he who views with scorn 
      Earth’s toys, for thee his constant flame; 
O help that I may never move 
From the blest footsteps of thy love! 

Each moment draw from earth away 
      My heart that lowly waits thy call: 
Speak to my inmost soul, and say, 
      I am thy love, thy God, thy all! 
To feel thy power, to hear thy voice, 
To taste thy love, be all my choice.

ON PRAYER: A HEAVEN OF THE MIND

It’s late at night. I cannot sleep. My heart is burdened with an unexpected family crisis, in no small part brought about by my misguided desires to help. I’m engulfed in an unrelenting cycle of negative thoughts as anxiety floods my soul. In abject desperation I cry out to God for divine intervention and supernatural guidance. Approaching the Throne of Grace I whisper a variation of a short New Testament prayer (Luke 18:38), “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.” I repeat this prayer over and over until my inner turmoil begins to dissipate as I call on the precious name of Jesus.

“The Jesus Prayer” as it has come to be known, was first verbalized by the blind beggar as he cried out to Christ on the road to Jericho. This simple prayer has been echoed by Christians ever since. Repeating it over and over quiets the frenetic mind, helping one to concentrate on the healing power of Jesus. Paul instructed New Testament believers to “pray without ceasing” and this fervent prayer of the heart is one way to do just that. Author Frederica Matthewes-Green writes, “The Jesus Prayer is a good way to focus our attention. We [come before Him] as we form the habit of saying this prayer over and over. Sometimes as you’re praying this prayer, you feel the Lord so strongly that you can let the words go and just remain basking in the presence of God.” Inner silence focused on the name of Jesus calms a multitude of distracting voices as the Jesus Prayer moves from our heads to our hearts and begins transforming our wills. True prayer affects the entire person.

It is by establishing and maintaining a daily prayer routine that we learn to listen and discern the voice of God. In The Ladder, Rung 26, John Climacus writes “Prayer is converse and union with God.” It is our continual communion and interaction with Christ that brings about an intimate relationship with Him. The more we pray in faith believing, the closer we will grow to love our Lord. One effective method of talking to God (as illustrated above) is repeating and memorizing the beautiful prayers of scripture—first by dwelling on them and then by making them our very own. Sincerely praying the prayers and promises of Scripture as well as the formal prayers composed by the great heroes of the faith down through the ages brings us into close fellowship with Christ.

Some of us are more comfortable with spontaneous prayer, another potent means of interacting with the Divine. Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist and the most wanted “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, was born into slavery and suffered unimaginable hardship at the hands of her “Christian” masters. Tubman longed for freedom from the evils of indentured servitude. Unable to read or write, she none-the-less escaped her plantation in Maryland, traveling 100 miles on foot to Philadelphia and the land of freedom. Although it was extremely dangerous, she returned to the place of her captivity 13 times throughout the ensuing years to guide dozens of other slaves to freedom.

Tubman was a woman of deep conviction and intense prayer, inextricably linked to Christ. She relied on Him alone for guidance as she creatively navigated seemingly impossible circumstances. Her forthright, on-going conversations with God indicated Harriet’s unflinching faith and trust in Him. She expected Christ to lead her and He did. Traveling by night, she would periodically stop and cry out to God for help and direction. As a result of this powerful prayer life, she was able to see herself and others through God’s eyes. Tubman is but one of the “great cloud of witnesses” that lived a life of continual prayer.

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Prayer is at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is an essential Christian practice as exemplified by Christ during His earthly sojourn. Quoting John Cassian, “There are as many forms of prayer as possible spiritual states and moods in one soul.” No matter where you are in your prayer life, Christ is longing to draw you ever closer to Himself. Abbot Sergius of St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania writes, “We must enter into this work of prayerful dialogue again and again, day by day, moment by moment, during every part of our life, always striving to make a new beginning. The task of prayer is beautiful and mysterious; it is painful and joyful; the task of prayer is salvific: by it we enter into a relationship with the one who saves us. . . . Prayer is Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27); it is the work of the Holy Spirit Himself, praying within us, the Spirit of Sonship crying out in our hearts to the Father, so that God may be all in all (Rom. 8:15; I Cor. 13:28).”

It is through prayer that the scales fall from our eyes and like the blind man we are healed by Christ!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on all those who are suffering with the Coronavirus.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on those who are mourning the loss of loved ones who have died as a result of the Coronavirus.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on all those who are caring with love and sacrifice for the sick wherever they are found, whether they are at home or in hospitals, and keep them by Your grace. 
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, defend and protect those who are suffering financial hardship as a result of this pandemic.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, grant wisdom to our leaders as they struggle to meet the daily demands of this disease.
Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, have mercy upon your world at this difficult time. For to You, our God, belong all praise and honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

Barry Krammes
Professor Emeritus, Art Department
Biola University

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