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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT PRAYER

Presented by His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim of Johannesburg and Pretoria (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa) to the Conference at Barcelona Sept 2001 to 4 Sept 2001

Through Prayer we have a way of withdrawal into God's presence for strength and vision and return to the world to serve God and His people. Without prayer the quality of our service deteriorates. Without prayer we forget the world; with prayer we remember. Prayer is the dynamic for involvement

BUT AFTER ALL WHAT IS PRAYER?

Prayer is to stand the mind in the heart before God, and so on standing before him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life" (Theophan). Prayer is the test of everything. ..the source of everything. ..the driving force o everything. ..the director of everything (Theophan).

Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God in praise and thanksgiving to Him and in supplication for the good things that we need, both spiritual and physical (Theophan).

Prayer is to stand before God with the mind, mentally to gaze unswervingly at Him, and to converse with Him in reverent fear and hope (St. Dimitri of Rostov).

Prayer. ..uplifts and unites human beings with God (St. Gregory Palamas).

Prayer is our personal communication system with our home base.

Prayer is a booster cable from our depleted lives to the ever dependable power of God which never fails to start us up again.

Prayer is the response of the soul to the love of God.

Prayer is taking our burdens to God, knowing He will help us carry them and renew us for the journey.

Prayer is the prelude to peace, the prologue to power, the preface to purpose,and the pathway to perfection (W .A. Ward).

Prayer is listening to God.

Prayer is opening the door of the heart to receive the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is a gift from God to us.

Prayer is the treasure buried within.

Prayer is tuning in to God's eternal, unchanging love.

Prayer is heaven in the heart ...the kingdom of God within you.

Prayer is creating an openness where God can give Himself to us.

Prayer is Jacob's ladder by which we ascend to God and God descends to us.

Prayer is placing the human predicament, however confused it may be, in the hands and care of God, with confidence He knows how best to untangle the complication and bring calm.

Prayer is best felt in the heart when I trust God enough to bring Him into the depths of my life and into the deeply personal hurts of my life.

Prayer is not bargaining with God, trying to convince Him to change. It is, rather, our asking Him to change us so we can see His ways and His plans more clearly.

Prayer is the heart's moment to bathe itself in the beauty of God's love and the cleansing of God's care.

Prayer is sorting out life's options and choosing the best with God's help and counsel.

Prayer is the destruction of fear (Fr. John of Kronstadt).

Prayer is holding all people in our hearts through love (Fr. John of

Kronstadt).

Prayer is the descent of heaven into the soul (Fr. John of Kronstadt).

Prayer is the abiding of the most Holy Trinity in the soul in accordance with the words of Jesus, "We will come to him, and make our home in him"

(Fr. John of Kronstadt).

Prayer is to be with God (Origen).

Prayer is an ascent of the spirit to God (Evagrios Ponticus).

Prayer is a continual intercourse of the spirit with God (Evagrios Ponticus).

The soul came forth from God and to God it may ever ascend through prayer

Fr. John of Kronstadt).

Prayer is remembering to call home because you are a child of God.

The pulse of prayer is praise. The heart of prayer is gratitude. The voice of

Prayer is obedience. The arm of prayer is service (W. A. Ward).

Prayer is a matter of love. The more one loves, the more one prays.

Prayer is remembering why we serve. If we forget to pray in order to have more time for service we shall soon forget the meaning of service.

Prayer is helplessness that asks Jesus to come in and take over (O. Hallesby).

Prayer is giving my worries to God and receiving His peace in return (Phil.6- 7). What an exchange!

Prayer is learning to love others as unselfishly as Christ loves me, which includes bearing their burdens and praying for them as persistently and fervently as I pray for myself.

Prayer is coming to know God as I open myself to Him.

Prayer is standing at attention before God.

Prayer is dialogue between two persons who love each other.

Prayer is heart to heart talk with Jesus.

Prayer is spiritual breathing.

Prayer is slipping into Gods presence.

The man who has learned to pray is no longer alone in the universe; he is living in his Father’s house.

Prayer is a means of grace, a sacrament.

Prayer is the "hot line" between God and us – a line always open for communication.

Prayer is light in darkness and hope in despair. A former American P.O.W. from North Vietnam said , "A part from prayer there was nothing-absolutely nothing – that gave me hope. Without my contact with God through prayer all was darkness."

Prayer is a state of continual gratitude (Fr. John of Kronstadt).

Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the mighty hand of God.

Prayer changes others, changes our circumstances because it changes us.

"The essence of the state of prayer is simply 'to be there', to hear the presence of another

person, Christ, and also our fellow man in whom Christ challenges me. ..The perfect prayer seeks the presence of Christ and recognizes Him in every human being" (Evdokimov).

Prayer is raising my eyes to God lest I begin to think that I am the highest point in the universe.

Prayer is friendly conversation with God-sharing our thoughts, feelings, needs and appreciation. It is making earnest, sincere requests to God, for yourself and others.

Prayer is hemming the day in with God, thus making it less likely to unravel.

Prayer is what Abraham said, "May I presume to speak to the Lord, dust and ashes that I

am?" (Gen. 18:27). Yes! You may!

God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.

Prayer is the blank canvas before the Painter. (Dr. Alexis Carrel).

Prayer is the empty cup standing before God asking to be filled.

Prayer is God's action in us through the Holy Spirit.

Prayer at its best is a grateful day opener, a beautiful day brightener, and a I joyful day closer.

Prayer is not saying to God, "Please do with me what I want," but "Please do with me what You want.

Prayer is to bring to light the Divine Presence within us, to remove the obstacles of sin so that the grace of Baptism may become fully active in the heart. Thus prayer is to become what we already are, to gain what we already possess, to come face to face with the One Who dwells even now within our innermost self. There are four answers to prayer: "No." "Yes." "Wait." "I never thought you'd ask."

Prayer is asking that we may receive. Even the royal and divine Son of God

had to ask in prayer. A person said to a politician once, "I voted for you even though you did not ask me." The politician replied, "But you're such a close friend I didn't think I had to ask." Whereupon the voter replied, "Yes, but it's nice to be asked." "Ask and you shall receive," said Jesus.

Most modern industries now schedule morning and afternoon coffee breaks when a worker can pause for a moment and refresh himself. Efficiency experts have determined that a person will be more productive if he is given a break from his work.

Our spiritual life is similar to this in many ways. We need' 'prayer breaks" throughout the day-special and scheduled times to spend with God in prayer. Such "prayer breaks" become in reality "power breaks" for us, making us more poised and productive Christians in the world.