Hidden Things

I am convinced that prayer is the greatest adventure we can find, for it reveals to us "things hidden from the foundation of the world."  It takes us to worlds our eyes cannot see, nor our ears hear, but which our spirits can apprehend and grasp.  Prayer can bring us knowledge of Jesus Christ -- not ideas about Jesus, but knowledge of Him in the biblical sense -- that is, intimate union with Him.  Prayer can bring us peace in the midst of distress, even while the storms whirl around us; it can bring us joy that the world cannot give, and it can teach us the love of God, even for our enemies.

St. Augustine said, "Pray as you can, not as you can't."  That is still great advice, for it is the Spirit in us who teaches us to pray, and only He knows where and how we need to begin.  But there are some things we can do to prepare ourselves for the direction of the Holy Spirit.

If we notice the way the first chapter of Genesis is structured, we see a strange pattern of events.  On the first three days, God creates light, firmament (sky) (the waters "above)," and sea and earth (the waters below.  In other words, the first three days are devoted to creating realms or spaces to be filled with ever-increasing variety and profusion.  The days of creation can be seen as follows:

1. Light                          4.  lights (sun, moon, and stars)
2. Firmament                 5.  fish in the waters below and birds in the sky above
3. dry land & plants       6. animals, humans, plants for food

In Genesis, creation is seen as a series of creative acts, beginning with and ordered by Light and Breath (ruah Elohim).  In Hebrew, "ruah" can refer to wind, breath, soul, spirit.  So what has this to do with prayer? 

One of the things I have discovered along the way is that nothing creative will happen unless and until there is space, or a realm, for it to happen.  If I want to paint, or to sew, I have to find a space, a time, and a place for the activity I desire.  Real artists have a kind of "studio space," even if it is only a corner somewhere, where the easel can remain set up.  I used to have a double closet in a hallway that held my sewing projects.  When I opened those doors, I could create; I had the space; I set aside the time and place for sewing, and beautiful things would often emerge. 

The same is true of prayer.  If we want to pray, however we pray, we must first find a space and a time (first day, second day, etc. )that God can fill with His Light and His Spirit/ wind/ breath.  Then our chaos can begin to become an ordered world, filled with unimaginably beautiful and diverse creations.  Once we have dedicated a chair, a corner, or even our bed to prayer, once we have set aside a certain time for prayer, God can begin to fill that space and time with His Light and His Spirit.  He can "do in us more than we can ask or imagine," if we only will give Him the time and space and permission to do it. 

And just like Adam, wondering at the variety and beauty of Paradise, we too will be surprised at what God can do in our world.  There is nothing more exciting than to "turn God loose" in our world and to watch Him at work.  Mountains move, the heavens shake, and miracles drop in our lap every day.   We have Jesus' promise in Matthew 7 and Luke 11 that God will not disappoint us if we ask for the Holy Spirit, for He "knows how to give good gifts to those who ask." 

A good place to begin in prayer is to ask for wisdom, for wisdom brings with it all good things, whatever we can desire.  And then, while we are creating time and space for our personal creation, we can read the words of Wisdom in Sirach, in Wisdom, and in Proverbs -- believing that whatever we ask for in prayer, we will receive.