Phenomenology of Prayer #1

27 September, 2015

On page 31, there were a few quotes that I really liked. Henri Nouwen: "So, the paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift." "No doubt it is a privilege to be gifted; but there is a price. One must abandon the project of being the center in terms of which meaning, and truth, and goodness are defined. To dare to pray is to consider the price worth paying. To mature in prayer is to discover that the price itself is a gift. But this is the task of a lifetime." I really like this because it talks about exactly how you will get the responses you need to hear through prayer. You need to realize that you are not the center of everything. You are just one person on this earth with a million problems, just like everyone else. Prayer comes with a price that everyone who is willing to pay can do it. Maturing in prayer is realizing that it is actually a gift but this takes a while. Maturity does not happen overnight. It takes a lifetime, non-stop. Maturing in your prayer life is the same way. You must take time out of your schedule for yourself and indulge yourself in prayer. This is the only way you will truly understand the power of God's work.