If We Want to Pray....

Most of us do not discover the joys of regular prayer because we have never "made space" for it in our lives.  One of the things I learned from reading Genesis is that God always makes first the space, and then fills it with teeming life---see Chapter 1 of Genesis.  The first 3 days of Creation are devoted to pushing back the unformed chaos to "make space" in the heavens, the earth, and the sea.  The next 3 days, He returns to the empty spaces to fill them with overflowing life and abundance.

From that, I learned that anything we want to happen in our lives must first have the space to happen.  If we want to paint, we must create a space where painting can occur---a place devoted to painting, if you will, with supplies out and ready, so that when we are in that space, we paint---not do a dozen other things. 

Now, how many of us have devoted a space for prayer in our homes?  I don't mean a family altar; I mean a comfortable chair, or even the bed---preferably a place near a window so that we can gaze out on the sacrament of our world, which brings the Presence of God.  If possible, the place of prayer should have easy access to the Bible, an inspirational book or two, and a pen and notebook for recording our thoughts.  St. Benedict taught that lectio divina, or sacred reading, "primes the pump" for prayer.

At first, it takes awhile to make the neuronal connections for prayer; our brains do not recognize the new pattern, so they wander into more familiar territory.  That is okay; we do not need to "produce" anything in prayer---but simply to create a space where God can enter.  We do not worry before a friend visits about what we will talk about, or structure a pattern for our conversation.  We simply make space for our friend and welcome him/her with joy; the conversation will take care of itself.  If we think about Who is coming to sit with us in our "sacred space," it is enough!

Soon, however, we will discover that our reading and thoughts are being directed; we might want to begin writing so as not to lose the new insights.  We will notice a new and profound peace in our sacred space; we will notice that our prayer becomes almost automatic after awhile, when we arrive at our "prayer chair."  If all we do is gaze out of the window, we have still entered the place of prayer, and that is enough.

But God does want to commune with us, and He will not leave us long before He begins to speak to us.  Like Samuel, we cannot allow His words to us to fall to the ground; if, like Mary, we store up His word to us, turning it over in our hearts, we find our old patterns of thought beginning to change, and new, unexpected hope and faith beginning to take shape in us.

If we "make space" for God in our lives, He will surely enter and "make space" for us in His life.