National Day of Prayer

I had the chance to share at North County's National Day of Prayer breakfast this morning. It was truly an honor to be able to speak to a room full of people who are far more prestigious than I will probably ever be. I shared about the power of prayer and how I had the chance to introduce a student to Jesus over at Palomar College just yesterday. One thing that I have realized about prayer is that it really forces me to get my agenda in line with God. Yesterday God just literally brought this student up to me and I just responded to the opportunity that he had obviously given to me.

I read this quote about prayer by Henri Nouwen that really got me thinking about the way that I think about prayer and often times compartmentalize my prayer life. Nouwen wrote,
"To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life and put him into a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and experience pious feelings. ... Although it is important and even indispensable for the spiritual life to set apart time for God and God alone, prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts -- beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful -- can be thought in the presence of God. ... Thus, converting our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer moves us from a self-centred monologue to a God-centred dialogue."

What a great truth to keep in mind!