Prayer is an attitude of mind and heart. It’s a choice, an intentional response to life. If we look at Jesus regarding prayer, we see Him choose to trust in the goodness of God to overcome all and any challenges. And He challenges us to do the same. Prayer is an intimate connection, an abiding in and with the Divine presence that permeates all of creation. There is no place where God is not. Prayer can involve the use of words, listening, asking and thanking, yet it’s not dependent upon the logic of intelligent phrases. Words are the most common tool used in prayer but not the entirety of prayer’s life.
To follow Jesus’ example is to participate in a vulnerable, generous relationship with God and the rest of the world. It’s a conscious choice to persistently give away the control over our activities and trust that God is involved in the process of life. Prayer is an interactive engagement in the good of the world, seeking God’s reign in every place.
Prayer is the generous offering of grace and compassion in all our activities, the significant life changing events in our lives and the myriad of unimportant decisions that pervade our day by day existence.
The actions of Jesus inform our lives of the intertwined unity of Father, Son and Spirit with our humanity. The image of abiding in the vine reveals the connecting relationship we each have with God. Our Father is delighted when his children respond in trust and obedience to this holy energy that moves through us. This is an opportunity for us to grow in our understanding of how to allow God’s love to be seen through our actions. God is especially delighted when we explore the possibilities of initiating our own unique grace-filled actions, and become ever-more loving individuals. Rev Malcolm Rawlings.