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<s>Prayer Life</s> A Life of Prayer

Prayer Life A Life of Prayer

THE CALL: FALL/WINTER 2022    |    3.5 MINUTE READ
JACE MARTIN, STAFF WRITER


“Close your eyes, bow your head, and fold your hands.”

If you grew up in a Christian environment, this might be how you were taught to pray. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s how it went: We sat in Sunday school, the teacher took prayer requests, and then one of us prayed for the sick aunts and the dogs that had run away and the upcoming dance recitals.

This is not a bad way to pray! Talking to God is a fantastic, awesome gift that we should take seriously; we should not flippantly approach the Lord. And as a former children’s pastor, I understand the need to create an environment where kids can focus on prayer without being distracted by Johnny’s silly face.

As valuable as those prayer instructions are, I wonder if there might be an unintended side effect to those formulaic guidelines. I wonder if they teach kids that prayer is something that happens for a set period of time with a set beginning (“Dear Lord…”) and a set finale (“Amen.”).


There must be a way to live a prayer-filled life while still minding our affairs and working with our hands.


Compare that to Paul’s counsel in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing” (ESV). How can we pray constantly if the act has a set of necessary actions and a beginning and an ending, like we were taught as children?

The church in Thessalonica was faithful, even to the point of martyrdom. Paul’s task in this letter was much easier than in some others. All he had to do was celebrate this church and encourage its members toward an even deeper faith. It was a letter of encouragement, not one of repair.

In chapter four, verse nine, Paul commends the church’s brotherly love before adding, “But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:10–12).

There must be a way to live a prayer-filled life while still minding our affairs and working with our hands.

Have you heard of Brother Lawrence? After a brief career in the French Army in the seventeenth century, Brother Lawrence dedicated his life to ministry and joined a monastery. He was consigned to the kitchen, where he took his dual roles as dishwasher and servant of Christ so seriously that the other monks took notice. (Can you imagine being so spiritually engaged that monks are impressed?!)


This practice takes the pressure off our times of focused prayer and study.


They convinced him to jot down some of his thoughts before he died in 1691. Here’s a passage from his work The Spiritual Maxims: “Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?”

My wife had our first child about a year ago and we quickly joined the “common business” of parenting. Changing a diaper, strapping the baby in the car seat, warming up a bottle, changing a diaper, moving the baby away from something dangerous (I never realized how pointy our furniture is), and—I cannot stress this enough—changing a diaper.

Doing these repetitive tasks puts my mind on autopilot. After the twelfth time wrestling a six-month-old into pajamas, it doesn’t take much thought.

But even when my brain wanders or shuts off, my body remembers to breathe. Expelling carbon dioxide and filling my lungs with oxygen happens whether I’m thinking about it or not. Knowing the body’s tendency to do what’s necessary for survival, some wise church fathers in ancient times came up with the idea of a breath prayer.


The breath prayer is self-replicating; when I start intentionally, it comes more naturally throughout the day. When I acknowledge the Lord frequently, it’s easier to abide in Him.


A breath prayer consists of two lines, one prayed during the inhale and the second during the exhale. The most common version is called the Jesus Prayer, adapted from Luke 18:13, and it goes like this:

[inhale] Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

[exhale] have mercy on me, a sinner.

Here’s another option:

[inhale] Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, 

[exhale] thank you for making me a new creation.

Or, you can create your own. Start by thinking of something you know to be true about God, but that you struggle to remember. Acknowledge that truth in the first line of your prayer and then in the second, ask the Lord to remind you of it.

Here’s one I use:

[inhale] Spirit, I acknowledge your presence;

[exhale] give me ears to hear you.

There are physiological benefits to this rhythm. When we feel stressed or anxious, our breathing can speed up or we unintentionally hold our breath. Focusing on our breathing helps reset our emotions and sends oxygen to our brains.

But more importantly, the spiritual benefits are never-ending. The breath prayer is self-replicating; when I start intentionally, it comes more naturally throughout the day. When I acknowledge the Lord frequently, it’s easier to abide in Him. When I’m tempted toward cynicism or arrogance, I’m already near the Spirit, who pulls me back toward holy love.

This practice takes the pressure off our times of focused prayer and study. If we don’t sense His presence during our quiet time, that’s okay! We know He’s there and will be with us in every breath we take, and we’re listening to Him all day.

We cannot disregard today’s common business. Bills need paid, dishes need washed, and work needs done. But beautiful is the idea that while we do it, the Spirit of God is as accessible as our next breath.

ACTION STEPS

PRAY: Jot down a breath prayer, maybe on your phone’s notes app. You can write your own or use an idea from above. Then, think of a repetitive task you do every day (brushing your teeth, making coffee, riding the elevator to your office). For the next week, pray your breath prayer each time you do that task.

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