When the Lines Come Together
It’s two o’clock in the morning.
I feel the call to wake up. I stumble out of bed, head for the bathroom; I wonder why I am up at two in the morning.
I had been in a deep sleep. I climb back into bed, but something is niggling at me. I close my eyes, but it won’t go away. So I tune in. Nothing is in my mind. I tune into my heart. There’s a message there, a message that someone needs attending. I tune into my spirit. Suddenly it is crystal clear who needs my prayers. There are two in fact.
I pray for them, listening to the words of spirit that are needed.
Prayer is a funny thing. It comes when it comes. It comes when we least expect it. We request for ourselves when we need something. When gratitude arises from within, it can spill over into prayer. When the words of spirit for others are upon our heart, it arises from within: we feel impelled to pray for them. Spontaneous prayer works this way.
Other forms of prayer prepare us for the yearnings of the spirit. Communal prayer is a very powerful form of prayer, too. The spirits of many are kindled simultaneously, our hearts as well, and our minds are entrained with powerful words to which we can return often. We are drawn to the spirit in personal prayer as well.
Personal prayer draws upon the forms of communal prayer as well as moments of spontaneous prayer.
But today I want to talk about spontaneous prayer. Have you ever stood on a mountaintop? A certain reverence arises within. That’s a prayer moment. Have you ever climbed a mountain and experienced the pure joy of that moment when the world lay before you? That’s a prayer moment. Have you ever seen the mountain bedecked in snow and sighed in wonder.
That’s a prayer moment.
Have you ever been to the ocean and pondered the eternal churning of the waves as they fling themselves upon the shore? That’s a prayer moment of a special kind, one that seeks to grasp eternity.
Today I want to talk with you about how special those moments are. Preparing the heart for prayer prepares the mind and body as well. Preparing the soul as well is the effect of reverence, joy, wonder, and pondering the eternal. The world depends upon the existence of prayer. By prayer we are comforted. By prayer we are blessed.
The stars shine in the darkness. This is how prayer works. Through starlight, the nights are made bright in fact. Sometimes on the Modoc Plateau, the brilliance of starlight lights up the sky on a moonless night. The prayers of the world act brilliantly, as the world is shrouded in darkness. So our payers are actually pretty important, don’t you think?
The world is in need of prayer. The world is in need of three areas of help. The problems affecting our world expand as the world grows more populous. Systems grow bigger and more complex until we cannot fully grasp them all. The competition for resources grows stronger, allowing the abuse of power. Growing population, system complexity, and abuse of power are just three out of many enormous needs. I would say Earth is in need of all the prayer light available!
The prayer light begins inside with an experience of something that registers with the soul. I began to see this phenomenon when reading The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Dan’s spiritual yearnings manifest in the form of a man named Socrates, a teacher and guide who appears mysteriously and disappears equally mysteriously. This character and what he represents gives Dan the soul-based courage to rehabilitate himself after severe injury. In my work as a therapist, I often heard horrendous stories. I had to learn to love people even when they were at their worst. I realized people were being wounded at the level of their fundamental intentions. Intention is a powerful aspect of soul.
The soul is also powerfully moved by music.
Over the years, I listened to a variety of music, each one taking me in a direction I needed. Sometimes the waters of the soul are more deeply stirred by one kind of music or another.
Soul filtered moments move us to pray. They happen regardless of our emotional state. They happen regardless of our physical state. They happen when we become receptive, for it is in these moments that the soul can speak. The longings of the soul can be experienced, and the intentions of the soul become clear. The longings and intentions of the soul tell us it’s time to pray.
So our receptivity is a critical element in spontaneous prayer. Meditation invites receptivity. Listening to music invites receptivity. Opening our hearts increases receptivity. Letting ourselves feel increases receptivity. When we are receptive, the spirit moves us more easily to bring mind, heart, and spirit together; when those three come together, intentions get clear, longings move us to pray.
