Thursday

‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not what I want, but what you want’.   Matthew 26.39 (NRSV)

‘Pray wholeheartedly, though you may feel nothing, though you may see nothing, yes,  though you think that you could not, for in dryness and barrenness, in sickness and in weakness, then is your prayer most pleasing to me, though you think it almost tasteless to you. And so is all your living prayer in my sight.’         (Showings Ch 41 p249)

I realized now that God is worshipped—and delighted—when we simply turn to the Divine One, trusting totally in that Unity and clinging to Divine grace. This attitude reveals a deeper understanding of God and creates in us an unshakeable love, far more than any method of prayer our minds could contrive. Even if we were to practice all the prayer techniques ever used, they would never be enough to connect our souls to God with utter wholeness and fullness, for God’s goodness is the entire whole of reality, a unity that lacks absolutely nothing. By focusing our attention here—on the absolute Unity that never fails—we achieve the truest form of prayer.

(Chapter 6, Sanna, Ellyn. All Shall Be Well (p. 39))

For Reflection and Prayer

• Let yourself focus on Jesus, praying in the garden – and let your attention linger on his wholeheartedness – and seek to sense the heart of the Father for him.
• Ponder your own wholeheartedness and wholebodiedness in your prayer. What desire do you notice for bringing more of yourself into your praying? Notice where you may be holding back. Ask God to help you in this.
• Reflect on your own experience of dryness and absence of satisfaction in prayer. What helps you remain focussed on seeking God? Let yourself hear God saying to you ‘your prayer is most pleasing to me, though you think it almost tasteless to you’