my response...


 
The significant thing about prayer in the meditation process is that it is our response to the word of God. It is not our shopping list of requests. It does not begin with our agenda. First we listen.

Then we let the word take root and reveal its beauty or its challenge. Only then are we ready to respond prayerfully. We let God have his rightful place as the initiator of the conversation. And maybe our response is not always in words.

Talking is only one way of praying. When met by the living God, biblical characters sometimes fell down in awestruck silence, or took off their shoes and worshipped. The psalmists let us know that sometimes tears are their prayer. David sang and danced to express both sorrow and joy. In his letter to the Romans, Paul assures us that even our deep, wordless signs are a response the Spirit can interpret.

When God's Word touches our heart, responses are many and varied. It is important to recognize them all as prayer.

-Sheila Pritchard, The Lost Art of Meditation - Deepening Your Prayer Life

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