Mail from God

 

PRAYER SERIES.

 

The Holy Spirit: Prayer Series Icon.

WELCOME TO MY PRAYER SERIES.

 

Do you ever feel dry in prayer, stopped praying, would like to explore a different way to pray?

Throughout this series I would like to present some different ways to pray.  Many of them you will have heard of before, some of them you have already practised, but might like to revisit and others may provide a different way into prayer. Of course, there will those types of Prayer that we may already practise regularly.

If we have a range of different prayer styles, we are not restricted  and can make our prayer life alive to our needs. When there are periods of dryness, we can explore another option.

 

Each type of prayer is not necessarily for everyone. We need to see what suits us personally as our prayer life is a very personal matter.  It is often connected to our personality.  So if what I suggest is not for you in this series, then why not explore other alternatives. My hope is that we may all grow in our prayer life during 2021.

 

Let us begin:

Last night I was given this article by a parishioner. The article does not have an author on it so I am unable to provide you with its authorship.  It is called

 

MAIL FROM GOD.

‘As you got up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday.  I noticed you were busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work.

I waited again. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a minute to stop and say hello, but you were too busy.  At one point you had to wait 15 minutes with nothing to do but sit in a chair.  Then I saw you spring to your feet.  I thought you wanted to talk to me, but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip.

I watched you as you went to work and waited patiently all day long. With all your activities, I guess you were too busy to say anything to Me.  I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt too embarrassed to talk to Me, that is why you didn’t bow your head.

You glanced three or four tables over and noticed some of your friends talking to Me briefly before they ate, but you didn’t. That’s okay. There is still more time left and I have hope that you will talk to Me, yet you went home and it seems as if you had a lot of things to do.

 

After a few of them were done, you turned on the television. I don’t know whether you like the TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it, not thinking about anything- just enjoying the show.

I waited patiently again as you watch the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn’t talk to Me.  Bedtime…..  I guess you felt too tired.

After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time.  That’s okay because you may not realise, I am always there for you.  I’ve got patience more than you will ever know.  I even want to teach you to be patient with others as well.

 

I love you so much that I wait every day for a nod, prayer or though or a thankful part of your heart.  It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.  Well, you are getting up again and once again I will wait with nothing but love for you, hoping that today you give Me some time.

Your best friend 

God.’

 

What really is prayer.  It simply is communicating with God as a friend- our best friend. It is sharing with Him every aspect of our lives and it is also listening to Him in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

 

SUGGESTED ACTION STEPS THIS WEEK

Consider how Mail from God resonates with you. What parts were relevant to you and what parts of the mail from God did not connect with you? Why were they relevant and/or irrelevant?

Make a personal plan to change that moment of the day to turn your heart to Jesus.

 

 

BEFORE GETTING OUT OF BED.

Consider starting the day with

a simple hello God, thank you for a lovely sleep during the night and looking after me, or

hello Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit thank you for the gift of a new day OR

Sing a verse of your favourite hymn which gives praise to God. Or simply

I love you God. Thank you for loving me today and always.

 

Start your day with communicating with your best friend. Experiment with this precious few moments before you get out of bed. Before you put your feet to the floor, make sure you have connected with God who loves you.

Be aware of your thoughts- are they tired thoughts, hang over thoughts from the previous day or worries, are they thoughts of the day ahead. Instead of them sitting in your head, take them to Jesus who loves you and share these thoughts/feelings/anxieties with Him. 

For some of us whose urgent need is to get to the bathroom when we wake, it is still important to connect with Jesus. We can still fit in at least one phrase like ‘hello God, thanks for a new day’ as we head towards the bathroom.

Remembering and being conscious of the fact that God allows us to have a new day is His gift to us. We can breathe only because He allows it and gifts us a new day. Are we grateful for our breath, for a gift of a new day?

When we give God our love, our gratitude to Him for a new day, it also has the effect of changing our attitude. We get out of bed on the right side. Even when the day ahead is daunting, we have already connected with God who knows what the day has in store. He wants to help us and be at our side.

 

So this coming week, let us review our morning routine and if God, our best friend has not yet been part of those first waking moments before your feet hit the floor, then why not experiment with saying hello to God in these precious moments of the day. Turning your eyes to God will, with practice start your day well and on the right side. This then flows over into our day and will give us a changed attitude towards the day.

Next week: Bringing God into our morning dressing.