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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Saturday, March 13, 2004 FURTHER EXPLORATION IN PRAYER - Open Ended Prayer Connects |
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Frontline Devotion for
Saturday, March 13, 2004, by Pastor Dave Sonnenberg
We’ve seen the images a thousand times on TV - namely, the person stranded on a
desert Island who writes a note, puts it in a bottle and then throws it in the
ocean. They throw it in with the hopes that somewhere in the world, somebody
will find it and be moved to action. (Obviously in that scenario - the hope is
that the person will form a search and rescue squad.)
I have been pondering that image as I pray. Prayer is a personal experience,
but prayer need not be viewed as something that is in complete isolation. Reflective prayer can draw us in to an experience whereby we feel connected to
others, even if we don’t know who they are. . . Now, before I lose you with
overly cerebral stuff, allow me to explain.
Last Sunday, I tried a little experiment as I prayed in church. I was leading
the prayers, but instead of writing long prayers, I simply “threw out” a
statement to allow people to focus on and then left time for silent reflection. For example, “let us lift up people and places for whom we are concerned. . .
.” “Let us lift up issues in life which we need God’s guidance. . .” “Let us
give God the things that trouble us and hold us back. . .”
Some will call this guided prayer but what I found was that I felt connected to
others in a profound way. When you throw out “open ended” prayers and allow
others the opportunity to be drawn in and silently add their own unique twist to
the prayer, something dynamic happens.
We are partners in prayer in this world. Perhaps in our own prayer life, we
might try stating some open ended petitions and then sit in silence and allow
the Spirit to take over and see what happens. I believe that our open ended
prayers connect us to people all across the globe. We each add our own spin to
the prayer but the key thing to remember- all our prayer is directed toward the
one who creates, sustains, and saves us - Christ Jesus.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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