I ran across this quote yesterday:
People often complain of "distractions" duing prayer. Their mind goes wandering off on to other things. This is nearly always due to praying for something you do not really much want; you just think it would be proper and respectable and "religious" to want it. So you pray highmindedly for big but distant things like peace in Northern Ireland or you pray that your aunt will gt better from the flu - when in fact you do not much care about these things; perhaps you ought to, but you don't. And so your prayer is rapidly invaded by distractions arising from what you really do want - promotion at work, let us say. Distractions are nearly always your real wants breaking in on your prayer for edifying but bogus wants. If you are distracted, trace your distraction back to the real desires it comes from and pray about these . When you are praying for what you really do want you will not be distracted. People on sinkng ships do not complain of distractions during their prayer. ~ Herbert McCabe
3 comments:
Well, that's a take on it I'd never thought of, and one I need to think about more. On the surface it certainly seems like a reasonable statement. If we were really passionate about what we were doing, our minds would hardly be so prone to wandering, would they? Of course, that's exactly why I've felt like such a failure for so long when it comes to sustained prayer (as opposed to the "arrow" prayers sent in a moment). I think I know deep down I'm not all that interested in praying, even though I think I should be.
Perhaps that's why I tend to enjoy the written prayers so much more. somehow not going through a list of things I think I ought to pray for, but instead reading through a set of prayers and scripture passages all laid out for me is so much easier and, as a result, so much more meaningful.
But I'll have to think more about the suggestion to allow the intrusions to intrude, and then to focus on those and pray what is really on your mind. That suggestion is worth spending some time on.
Carrie
Gosh, this is an interesting idea. I'm going to have to see how it works. I find praying with someone else much easier than praying silently alone. Somehow giving voice to my prayers helps keep my mind on track.
Becky, in response to your question on my blog..here are some of the verses I was thinking of.
Lev 25:44-46
44 "'Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
Ex 21:20-21
20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
Ex 21:2-4
2 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. 3 If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
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