The Gift of Presence: Part 2

Communing with God in Prayer

For people of faith, the peaceful calm days of winter between Christmas & Easter which we are currently in, lend themselves to quiet reflective time to commune with God, the source of our being.  If we take the opportunity to intentionally quiet the noise of the outside world & rest in communion with God our Creator, these days can be a time for healing & the growth of our spirit for the new life promised.  Though there are some significant differences between traditions of faith, most all faiths embrace prayer as the central focus of connection with God, the Holy of Holies.  There are many ways to connect with God & many reasons to, but the heart of all communication with God is faith & gratitude.  God our creator is ever present with us.  Like a radio wave that carries music through the air waves whether we tune into it or not, God never leaves us.  Prayer is not the same thing as prayers.  Prayers are something that we pause to do.  The intention of prayers, whether rote, corporate or individual, generally fall into the categories of: adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, intercession, & petition. There certainly is a place for rote prayers said individually or said in faith communities. The psalms & hymns are known as prayers & fit into these categories.  They remind us of who we are & to whom we belong.  However, when we enlarge our awareness of who God is for us & all of life, we awake to the reality that prayer is a happening, not something we do from time to time.  When we wake up to the reality that God is present with us regardless of where we are or what we are doing, we see that our very life when focused on God, constitutes a genuine prayer.  When we are fully alert to whatever or whoever is right in front of us, when we are aware of the tremendous gift of being alive, & when we are able to give ourselves wholly to the moment we are in, it is then that we are in prayer.  Prayer is a happening, not necessarily something we are doing.  God is happening & we are in the midst.  When we are aware of & receive God’s presence with us at all times & give ourselves wholly to God no matter what we are doing, our life becomes a prayer.  We are walking with God & God is walking with us.  There is great healing & comfort in that reality.  Living in constant connection with God gives us life, hope, joy & peace & it heals our broken troubled beings.  To say, I love God, but I don’t pray much, is like saying I love life but I don’t breathe much.  As children of God, our spirits shrivel & die without connection with our Holy God, for we become less then what we were created to be.

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Spiritual Consultant with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy