by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Conversing with God by Rosalind Rinker outlines some very practical guidelines on making prayer a very natural "conversation" with God. Below are several excerpts from her book. The complete book is at
http://www.ccel.us/prayer.toc.
The term "conversational prayer" is not an unusual one. Neither is it original. I've found many groups of young people and adults using this direct, honest approach to God. Yet the word “conversation” needs a fresh defining.
What is conversation?
It is a method which should provide communication between two or more people. Unfortunately, it is usually listed among the lost arts of today.
To understand conversational prayer, it will be a great help if we get the following four points about real conversation clearly in our minds.
1. When we converse, “we become aware.” Aware of the other person, his rights, his privileges, his feeling, and if we converse long enough, his total personality.
2. Good conversation implies that we must take turns and do it gracefully. When one person does all the talking we call it (if we are polite) a monologue.
3. Finally, it should be clear that to converse we must all pursue the same subject, and pursue it by turns. We are, in a sense, the listening and speaking members of a team. We have agreed to agree upon our subject of conversation, and to do this each one must decide what is relevant and important at the moment.
http://www.ccel.us/prayer.toc.
The term "conversational prayer" is not an unusual one. Neither is it original. I've found many groups of young people and adults using this direct, honest approach to God. Yet the word “conversation” needs a fresh defining.
What is conversation?
It is a method which should provide communication between two or more people. Unfortunately, it is usually listed among the lost arts of today.
To understand conversational prayer, it will be a great help if we get the following four points about real conversation clearly in our minds.
1. When we converse, “we become aware.” Aware of the other person, his rights, his privileges, his feeling, and if we converse long enough, his total personality.
2. Good conversation implies that we must take turns and do it gracefully. When one person does all the talking we call it (if we are polite) a monologue.
3. Finally, it should be clear that to converse we must all pursue the same subject, and pursue it by turns. We are, in a sense, the listening and speaking members of a team. We have agreed to agree upon our subject of conversation, and to do this each one must decide what is relevant and important at the moment.
4. To carry on a conversation of any significance or interest, each
person must use his memory to recall, his patience to wait, his
alertness to jump in, his willingness to get out, and above all his
capacity to hold back the disruptive. In other words, he should be in
tune.
There are several practical points which may help you to make this practice of secret prayer part of your daily life.
1. Have a definite place to pray alone. Every time you pass that place, whether it is by a chair, or your bedside, an unused room, a little closet, your desk or your car, you will be reminded that both physical and spiritual refreshment await you there.
2. Anticipate meeting One who loves you in a personal intimate way. Before you arrive at this special place, let your mind constantly say, "I am going to meet Him, I am going to be consciously aware of Him." After you are there, say: "Here in this quiet place, He can show me Himself. I am His. I can put aside all else and worship You, my Lord, and my God."
3. Let your prayers be semi-audible. You are speaking to a Person, and hearing your own voice will keep your thoughts centered on Him, although sometimes there will be only deep unspoken torrents of love and adoration welling up from within.
4. Use a daily devotional book, and use some kind of study book to give you needed direction in your daily Bible reading.
We need to learn the art of conversation. We need to learn to pray in His Presence, and to let Him speak with us, to be in tune with Him until we are willing to hear what He has to say to us.
There is an intimate relationship between the Shepherd and the sheep which is always initiated by the Shepherd Himself. But there is something for the sheep to do when he enters the fold. He has to be willing to hear and respond to the Shepherd's voice. Frequently we need the help of one or two other "sheep" who already know His voice in order to make our response a complete
one. We need to learn to pray with one another. We are all sheep of His pasture, and we need to be together.
But more is involved than merely being willing to pray together.
When part of a group, here is a method to consider.
“Instead of going around the circle, let's remember consciously that the Lord Jesus is right here, in the center of this circle with us. He promised, “where two or three are gathered, there am I.” Speak directly to Him, simply, honestly, just as we talk to anyone in whom we have real confidence. Say 'I' when we mean I, and 'we' if we mean the whole group.”
“Another important thing is to pray by subjects. If someone starts to pray for someone, two or three of the rest of you feel perfectly free to pray for him, too. Be direct and simple. Then wait a moment before introducing a new name. The Spirit will guide us. You can each pray four or five times if you want to, but keep to one subject at a time, and pray back and forth. As we open our hearts, the Holy Spirit will guide us concerning who to pray for, what to pray for and when to pray."
"Now remember, the Lord is here. We are speaking to Him. Pray in short sentences, and then let someone else have a chance. He will guide us."
Keep in mind, when we pray, to whom are we really speaking?
There are several practical points which may help you to make this practice of secret prayer part of your daily life.
1. Have a definite place to pray alone. Every time you pass that place, whether it is by a chair, or your bedside, an unused room, a little closet, your desk or your car, you will be reminded that both physical and spiritual refreshment await you there.
2. Anticipate meeting One who loves you in a personal intimate way. Before you arrive at this special place, let your mind constantly say, "I am going to meet Him, I am going to be consciously aware of Him." After you are there, say: "Here in this quiet place, He can show me Himself. I am His. I can put aside all else and worship You, my Lord, and my God."
3. Let your prayers be semi-audible. You are speaking to a Person, and hearing your own voice will keep your thoughts centered on Him, although sometimes there will be only deep unspoken torrents of love and adoration welling up from within.
4. Use a daily devotional book, and use some kind of study book to give you needed direction in your daily Bible reading.
We need to learn the art of conversation. We need to learn to pray in His Presence, and to let Him speak with us, to be in tune with Him until we are willing to hear what He has to say to us.
There is an intimate relationship between the Shepherd and the sheep which is always initiated by the Shepherd Himself. But there is something for the sheep to do when he enters the fold. He has to be willing to hear and respond to the Shepherd's voice. Frequently we need the help of one or two other "sheep" who already know His voice in order to make our response a complete
one. We need to learn to pray with one another. We are all sheep of His pasture, and we need to be together.
But more is involved than merely being willing to pray together.
When part of a group, here is a method to consider.
“Instead of going around the circle, let's remember consciously that the Lord Jesus is right here, in the center of this circle with us. He promised, “where two or three are gathered, there am I.” Speak directly to Him, simply, honestly, just as we talk to anyone in whom we have real confidence. Say 'I' when we mean I, and 'we' if we mean the whole group.”
“Another important thing is to pray by subjects. If someone starts to pray for someone, two or three of the rest of you feel perfectly free to pray for him, too. Be direct and simple. Then wait a moment before introducing a new name. The Spirit will guide us. You can each pray four or five times if you want to, but keep to one subject at a time, and pray back and forth. As we open our hearts, the Holy Spirit will guide us concerning who to pray for, what to pray for and when to pray."
"Now remember, the Lord is here. We are speaking to Him. Pray in short sentences, and then let someone else have a chance. He will guide us."
Keep in mind, when we pray, to whom are we really speaking?
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