Holy Living: Prayer: Spiritual Practices of Building a Life of Faith

By Elaine A. Heath and Ray Buckley

"While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8 CEB) Christians crave a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. The spiritual disciplines are historical practices that can guide us in our daily walk, bringing us closer to Christ. The Holy Living series brings a fresh perspective on the spiritual disciplines, enabling us to apply their practices to our current lives. Practicing these spiritual disciplines opens us to God's transforming love.

Prayer has always been a central component in the life of a Christian. For many people, prayer is as natural as breathing; for others, it's a challenging task. No matter your comfort level or experience with prayer, this book will help you explore the purpose of prayer, the nature of prayer, and the results of a life of prayer. It leads you to be open to the transformation prayer can bring to your life and helps you better engage in prayer both individually and with others.

This is one of series of eight books. Each book in this series introduces a spiritual practice, suggests way of living the practice daily, and provides opportunities to grow personally and in a faith community with others who engage with the practice. Each book consists of an introduction and four chapters and includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion.

Other disciplines studied: Celebration, Confession, Discernment, Neighboring, Prayer, Simplicity, Study, and Worship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Aug 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781501877575

Ray Buckley

Ray Buckley is the interim Director of the Center for Native American Spirituality and Christian Study. Buckley has served The United Methodist Church as a staff member of The United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People’s Communication Office (UMCom) for nine years, and Director of Connectional Ministries for the Alaska Missionary Conference. Most recently Buckley wrote Hard to Dance with the Devil on Your Back and contributed to New Dawn in Beloved community. Also, he is the author/illustrator of five books: God’s Love is Like…, The Give-Away: A Christmas Story in the Native American Tradition, The Wing, Christmas Moccasins, and Dancing with Words: Storytelling as Legacy, Culture, and Faith. He is also the author of Creator Sang a Welcoming Song, and Walking in These White Man Shoes, children and youth resources for the Women’s Dvision School of Mi

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Prayer as Invitation

The red streams of my veins run toward you,

As forest streams to the sun in the Moon of bright nights.

When you are beside me my heart sings,

dancing before the Wind-Spirit in the moon of strawberries.¹

Imagine that there is a house to which you have always wanted to gain entry. You ask, How do I get into the house? An Other answers, But you’re already here.

You ask the Other, How can I find you? The Other responds, I’m already here. You ask, When did you get here? The Other answers, I live here. I live with you. You ask, Who else lives here with us? The Other-become-Someone replies, Everybody.

The red streams of our veins run toward You, God. Our self flows from You and towards You. When You are beside us, our hearts sing. You are our home, our dwelling place for all the generations of our people.

To pray is to choose to be, in this moment, where God tells us God is already.

In Hassidic Jewish literature, we find this beautiful verse, known as the song of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev:

Where I wander—You!

Where I ponder—You!

Only You, You again, always You!

You! You! You!

When I am gladdened—You!

When I am saddened—You!

Only You, You again, always You!

You! You! You!

Sky is You! Earth is You!

You above! You below!

In every trend, at every end,

Only You, You again, always You!

You! You! You!²

To pray is not to step out of the world in which we live but to know that God has chosen to live here with us. We are acknowledged by God, by the presence of God.

Here,

In this place,

You have chosen to be with us.

We turn to the east,

Where the morning sun awaits us,

And Your light is there.

We turn to the south,

From which warm winds blow,

And Your spirit warms us.

We turn to the west,

The place of the unknown,

And Your certainty awaits us.

We turn to the north,

The place of wisdom,

And find Your wisdom is already here.

Around, before, and behind us,

Your presence is here.

We open our arms and our hearts,

So that You may come inside.

See that we are a good place for You to live.

See that we are Your children,

And You are our God.

Live in us. Amen.³

IS THERE A RIGHT WAY TO PRAY?

In the deep roots of Christianity, Saint John Chrysostom said, He who is able to pray correctly, even if he is the poorest of all people, is essentially the richest. And he who does not have proper prayer, is the poorest of all, even if he sits on a royal throne.⁴ Soto Zen monk Suzuki Roshi said, All of you are perfect, and you could use a little bit of improvement.⁵

An elder was asked, What is ‘to pray without ceasing’? [1 Thess 5:17], and he replied, It is the petition sent up to God from the very foundation of the heart requesting what is appropriate. For it is not only when we stand for prayer that we are praying; true prayer is when you can pray all the time within yourself.⁶

An old, faded cartoon on my wall shows two dogs walking down the street in conversation. One dog says to the other, It’s always ‘Sit,’ ‘Stay,’ ‘Heel’—never ‘Think,’ ‘Innovate,’ ‘Be yourself.’ ⁷ Just when we think we have mastered the requirements of prayer, we discover that we are asked just to be ourselves.

From a multiplicity of world cultures, forms and traditions of Christian prayer have evolved into the legacy that is given to us. Interpreting the forms and traditions of prayer has a common link with interpreting the library of Scripture: Who said it, to whom, and in what situation? How do we speak to the One we love? Be yourself, and follow your heart.

Prayer does not require art or skill. If God hears the cry of an infant or of a bird, then artistry is not an element of prayer. If denominations or institutions determined the capacity to pray, then we would be tutored, tested, and certified to enter the arena of prayer. The fact that neither skill nor instruction is required by God is evidence that prayer is intimately relational. God, who is always present, asks that we be present—to show up. Prayer is at first a desire to seek encounter and becomes a developed intimacy. After all, in our humanness we are reluctant to believe that God will really show up. In the beginning, prayer can feel as if we are shooting arrows at the stars.

Until we pray, we know God as Other. As we pray, we know God as Abba.

Active Application

Think about your experiences with prayer. What do you believe about prayer? How do you engage in prayer? What do you want your prayer life to become? Write down some experiences, positive and negative, you have had with prayer, and then write down some goals or a descriptive picture of what you want your prayer life to be.

We never pray alone. No matter who we are or where we are, we are prepared for prayer by the Spirit of God who aids us in our prayer. Every attempt to pray on our part is accompanied by an act of grace from God. God urges us to pray, enables us to pray, grants us the ability to pray, prays with us, and enters into the moment of prayer. God continues the act of prayer through furthering the grace of God.

Prayer, in the same manner as conversion, is never about us alone. Prayer always leads us into relationship—deeper relationship with our self, with God, and with others. From where we begin as souls seeking God through prayer, God will always move us toward the needs of others. When we pray for our hunger, we are praying for the hunger of the world. When we pray for our lost child, we are praying for lost children everywhere. God takes what we think is personal only to us and moves us closer to the beating heart of God. Through the grace of God, prayer leads us into a higher sensitivity of others, while at the same moment others who do not know us are affecting our lives through their own prayers. In prayer, we are never alone.

A brother visited an elder who had second sight and pleaded with him, Pray for me, Father, for I am weak. In answer the elder said to the brother, One of the holy ones once said that he who takes oil in his hand to anoint a sick person first partakes of the richness of the oil himself. Likewise, he who prays for a brother, even before that one benefits, receives a portion of benefit himself through his disposition to love. Let us then pray for each other, my brother, so we might be healed; for this the apostle advocates, saying, ‘Pray for one another that you may be healed’ [Jas 5:16].⁸

The first grace of praying is praying honestly and trusting God to make sense of our prayers. There are no wrong or right words to pray; there are only right intentions or motives, and in that we are aided by God.

Being of Lakota and Tlingit (as well as Scottish) descent, I always return to the give-away among Native people. At my core, it is my deepest understanding of the grace of God. We give-away on many occasions, despite the fact that the give-away and potlatch were once outlawed. When our child receives an honor or graduates, our family will hold a feast and serve the community. Along with the meal, we will give gifts to the community. At the time of a funeral, probably more than any other, the grace of giving-away is seen in its highest form.

When someone dies suddenly, unlike events of celebration, there is no time to prepare, and often there are no resources. Native families (who often have so very little) give all that they have. When it is incumbent upon the family to give-away in honor of the deceased, the community comes into action. Food is given to the family so that they can provide a feast and give-away. Gifts are given to the family so that the family can give-away. Others give so that the family can give to them. Giving becomes circular. Prayer, without our always being aware, is circular. God seems to be interested in linking us all through prayer.

The cable network station Food Network features a cooking competition called Chopped. The competition brings together four chefs who are required to prepare an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Each course must be made exclusively from ingredients selected by the show and concealed in baskets. The ingredients selected often seem incompatible. Each round, one chef is chopped, or eliminated. The prize for surviving the competition is $10,000.

In the third episode of Season 8, Lance Nitahara, a returning chef/competitor, and newcomer Yoanne Magris successfully completed the first two rounds and were to go head-to-head in the final round for the prize. During the show, each candidate was asked, If you win this competition, what do you plan to do with the winnings? Magris had described her aging grandmother, living in Europe, and the dream of being able to spend time with her.

Lance Nitahara, an extraordinary and creative chef, won the $10,000 that evening, but as he stood in front of the judges, Nitahara announced that he would share his winnings with Magris so that she could visit her grandmother.

The culmination of the event quickly spread around the world on social media. But there was a moment earlier in the program that might not have received much attention. As the four chefs rushed to begin the competition, Nitahara quietly closed his eyes and inhaled, pausing briefly in prayer. Asked by the host to describe his act, Nitahara began with these words: I draw on God . . . Not to win, not to be the best, but to draw on God, centering oneself with God. Drawing on God. Placing oneself in the presence of God. That is the essence of prayer.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength:

God’s power to guide me,

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s eyes to watch over me;

God’s ear to hear me,

God’s word to give me speech,

God’s hand to guard me,

God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to shelter me,

God’s host to secure me.⁹

Active Application

Do you take time to draw on God—not with a request or a goal in mind, but simply to be aware of being in God’s presence? Take some time to sit with God.

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