Prayer day

Like any other relationship we foster it needs time commitment a desire to get to know the other person and to make myself known. It will include times of laughter and enjoying each others company, times of pouring out my heart to God and listen to his advice, times of correction where he points out things that need change, times of mere adoration of the wonder of who God is and much more. Richard Foster describes it vividly. "He invites us into the living room of his heart where we can put on old slippers and share freely. He invites us into the kitchen of his friendship where chatter and batter mix in good fun. He invites us into the study of his wisdom where we can learn and grow and stretch... and ask all the question we want. He invites us into the worship of his creativity, where we can be co-labourers with him, working together to determine the outcome of events. He invites us into the bedroom of his rest where peace is found and where we can be naked and vulnerable and free. It is also the place of deepest intimacy, where we know and are known to the fullest." (Prayer - Finding the hearts true home, page 1 - Richard Foster)

Prayer - the transforming friendship
"Stop praying - start talking to God" God longs to relate to us at every level of our being! This includes our feelings, our mind, our imagination, our will, our memory, our all - he seeks to know us intimately for all we are!

Today you have an opportunity to build your friendship with God! Some ideas might include:

1. telling him openly what you think or feel for/about him: NOT what you think you should feel as a Good Christian - but what you really feel!
   - Pray through what really is on your heart not about what should be on your heart!
2. just sitting quietly and comfortably together - no need to always talk, just enjoy being together with him - picture yourself at Jesus' feet - just sitting with him!
3. true friends are honest to each other - is there anything God wants to say to you that might hurt? Still listen, he says it because he cares for you. Respond!
4. Friends love spending time together - go on a walk with God and talk through the last week with him
5. Friends like to find out more about each other - look at what God is saying about himself: what are his dislikes, his preferences, the things he feels passionately about? What is his character? Things he hates? Who is he? Start discovering him as you read his word! What makes him the person he is?
6. GOD and FEELINGS - Discovered what was behind God's anger - that he was getting hurt by my sin - rather than being mad he was hurt! GEN 6,6 : He was grieved and his heart was filled with pain! God is not a concept, he is a person!
7. Friends have things in common - what is important to God and what is important to you? Any priorities that need to change?
8. How does trust grow in a friendship? Looking back and seeing the reliability of someone and being on the road together! Look back at God's faithfulness!
9. Friends ask each other for advice - any situation where you do not know what to do? Share your heart and talk it over with God!
10. Friends like to surprise each other and give gifts: Be creative
    - Write a poem for God.
    - Write your own Psalm look back over your life or even just over the last year and write a Psalm that describes your experiences with God
11. Go through Ps. 107
    - When have you been in the desert - what did God do?
    - When were you in a Storm - what did God do?
12. CHEW things over - don't just rush through it - go through a verse word by word! Ps 103 - he satisfies my desires - with GOOD things! Learn from the COWS - they chew things over. What have you learnt this week that has challenged/strechd/ enriched you? Share it with Christ!
13. Write a Bible story from the perspective of one of those involved - include feelings, and put yourselves into their shoes.
14. Write a postcard as Paul from one of your journeys - what is happening
15. Study a prayer of someone else - Ex. Nehemiah 1,5 ff.;

• Use the time as well to reflect on what you've been learning - is there anything god has spoke to you about during the time here in De Bron

• Pray in different postures, seek God

• Music can help to bring us into the presence of God

• Use objects as symbols - meditate upon a flower or God's creation, take a stone and write on it something God has done,

• Come to terms with the "inner noise" which will continue to distract you - often it seems to get noisier in us as we seek to become quiet: -

Write down on a piece of paper all your!

1. Fears
2. Concerns
3. Hopes
4. Longings
5. Disappointments
6. Things you need to do and to remember etc. And then leave it all behind for the time being - you can get back to it later. Hand your fears over to God!

Ideas for spending a day in communion with God

Preparation

1. Dare to put other thing aside and have a different day!
2. Be yourself, don't try to be somebody else - God knows you already!
3. It can be helpful to write down other preoccupations and deliberately set them aside and ask God to hold them for you.
4. Don't be surprised to hear yourself - in silence things that as usually covered up by words (jalousie, fears, questions, doubts etc.) come to the surface. If that happens tell God about them!
5. Be expectant. The Lord looks forward to your company and to sharing himself with you.

Some ways of listening to God

a) Scripture as part of the day:

• a slowly read a passage and really chew it over and let God speak to you read a whole gospel or a whole letter - deliberately slow down in

• reading and if something strikes you take it to God

• choose a gospel incident and "live in it" - put yourself into the shoes of the blind beggar... or one of the disciples and really live in it

b) go for a listening walk - ask God to speak to you through what you see. Slow down, stop to "smell the flowers", listen to sounds. Look at birds, flowers etc.

c) play a tape and enter into worship

d) write a poem, a psalm, a prayer concerning what God is doing in your life or talking to you about

e) write a Bible story from the point of view of one of the people involved or watching

f) study a prayer someone else in the Bible prayed and learn from that person

g) pray in different postures : standing, sitting, lying down before God

Guide for praying for the day

25 maj 2010