Thought on Prayer
I listen to a Christian Talkback radio show based in Oakville, on JOY 1250 (AM). It's on Saturdays from 1:00 to 5:00. It's called the Drew Marshall Show. More often than not, I'm busy on Saturdays, so I'm incredibly grateful for the website updates where I can listen to segments of his show (not to mention the weekly emails about upcoming guests.
Wednesday I got the email that his last Saturday's interview with Brennan Manning was now online. Brennan Manning is a former Fransiscan priest, who after serious struggles with alcoholism, is now having a serious impact with his ministry. He's written numerous books, such as "The Ragamuffin Gospel", which is popular even (especially?) among Evangelical Protestant Christianity.
When I was listening to the interview I was very challenged and inspired by Mr. Manning, especially when he was talking to Drew about prayer. Drew confessed that he didn't pray much, and saw it as a "waste of time." Manning's reply was straight-shooting and to the point:
Manning: ...I recommend 20 minutes of prayer each morning and 20 minutes in the evening. And surprisingly that 20 minutes in the morning will spill over into the rest of the day, you'll find yourself saying things you never dreamed you would say, suddenly a passage of Scripture will spring out of your mind...
Marshall: I...don't pray. Uhm, I mean I pray, but I don't pray, you know what I mean? I've never been a man of prayer. I've surrounded myself with great men of God who get up at 5 in the morning, 4 in the morning, who spend 3 hours on their knees begging, pleading, pouring out. I've tried New Resolution-y kind of things time and time and time and time again. I have a shocking prayer life. What's the prescription? More brokenness? I have to get more broken before I get on my knees?
Manning: Nope...Do 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the evening. [someone says] I'd love to, but I just don't have the time...Here's my suggestion. Go to your room, close the door, kneel down, and honestly say to Jesus, "I don't really enjoy spending time with You. I find it boring, I find it monotonous, I'm constantly distracted. I don't have any fierce longing to be with You. I just find prayer is a waste of time--I could be out helping somebody instead of praying. The real problem is, you have to move from "I should pray" to "I want to pray"
...
Marshall: To me it's the biggest waste of time there is. I would be motivated if I saw answers left, right and centre...but it seems like a big waste of time.
Manning: The moment you move from "I know I should pray" to "I want to pray," that's when you do it...The want is a gift from the Holy Spirit. So, in your prayer, you say, "Jesus, I really don't have any desire, any want, and longing to be with You, and I know I can't pull it off. So I'm asking You now, with all my heart, to plant the desire in my heart, to really desire to spend time alone with You." And that prayer gets answered.
Listen to the whole interview at www.drewmarshall.ca/listen.html#050604 It's powerful!
God bless!
Part two of the Beatitudes this weekend!
Wednesday I got the email that his last Saturday's interview with Brennan Manning was now online. Brennan Manning is a former Fransiscan priest, who after serious struggles with alcoholism, is now having a serious impact with his ministry. He's written numerous books, such as "The Ragamuffin Gospel", which is popular even (especially?) among Evangelical Protestant Christianity.
When I was listening to the interview I was very challenged and inspired by Mr. Manning, especially when he was talking to Drew about prayer. Drew confessed that he didn't pray much, and saw it as a "waste of time." Manning's reply was straight-shooting and to the point:
Manning: ...I recommend 20 minutes of prayer each morning and 20 minutes in the evening. And surprisingly that 20 minutes in the morning will spill over into the rest of the day, you'll find yourself saying things you never dreamed you would say, suddenly a passage of Scripture will spring out of your mind...
Marshall: I...don't pray. Uhm, I mean I pray, but I don't pray, you know what I mean? I've never been a man of prayer. I've surrounded myself with great men of God who get up at 5 in the morning, 4 in the morning, who spend 3 hours on their knees begging, pleading, pouring out. I've tried New Resolution-y kind of things time and time and time and time again. I have a shocking prayer life. What's the prescription? More brokenness? I have to get more broken before I get on my knees?
Manning: Nope...Do 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the evening. [someone says] I'd love to, but I just don't have the time...Here's my suggestion. Go to your room, close the door, kneel down, and honestly say to Jesus, "I don't really enjoy spending time with You. I find it boring, I find it monotonous, I'm constantly distracted. I don't have any fierce longing to be with You. I just find prayer is a waste of time--I could be out helping somebody instead of praying. The real problem is, you have to move from "I should pray" to "I want to pray"
...
Marshall: To me it's the biggest waste of time there is. I would be motivated if I saw answers left, right and centre...but it seems like a big waste of time.
Manning: The moment you move from "I know I should pray" to "I want to pray," that's when you do it...The want is a gift from the Holy Spirit. So, in your prayer, you say, "Jesus, I really don't have any desire, any want, and longing to be with You, and I know I can't pull it off. So I'm asking You now, with all my heart, to plant the desire in my heart, to really desire to spend time alone with You." And that prayer gets answered.
Listen to the whole interview at www.drewmarshall.ca/listen.html#050604 It's powerful!
God bless!
Part two of the Beatitudes this weekend!
Labels: Prayer
posted by Gregory at 1:55 p.m.
2 Comments:
Thank you for the content in your BLOG. I appreciate reading that it's hard for others to pray as well, and that doing it, keeps lines open, and will help us through the day.
Much love from Oklahoma
You're very welcome! Thanks for reading and commenting! It's always nice to have new readers!
And yeah, we all struggle with our relationship with God. I don't want to candy-coat it here. The only thing that being dishonest about our struggles accomplishes is that others are discouraged because they don't live up to the apprearances, and we never grow ourselves!
Stop by more often!
With love back from Ontario!
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