Richard J. Foster On Prayer (Part 1 of 3)

Excerpts from:
Prayer: The Heart's True Home

Paul, you may remember, urges us to offer our bodies - our very selves – as living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1)…. The Offering of ourselves can only be the offering of our lives experience, because this alone is who we are. And who we are – not who we want to be – is the only offering we have to give. We give God therefore not just our strengths but also our weaknesses, not just our giftedness but also our brokenness. Our duplicity, our lust, our narcissism, our sloth – all are laid on the altar of sacrifice. [Pg. 31, Chapter: Prayer of Examen]

We must not deny or ignore the depth of our evil, for, paradoxically, our sinfulness becomes our bread. When in honesty we accept the evil that is in us as part of the truth about ourselves and offer that truth up to God, we are in a mysterious way nourished. Even the truth about our shadow side sets us free (John 8:32). [Pg. 31, Chapter: Prayer of Examen]

As we are learning to pray we discover as interesting progression. In the beginning our will is in struggle with God’s will. We beg. We pout. We demand. We expect God to perform like a magician or shower us with blessings like Father Christmas. We major in instant solutions and manipulative prayers. [Pg. 47, Chapter: Prayer of Relinquishment]

As difficult as this time of struggle is, we must never despise it or try to avoid it. It is an essential part of our growing and deepening in things spiritual. To be sure, it is an inferior stage, but only in the sense that a child is at an inferior stage to that of an adult. The adult can reason better and carry heavier loads because both brain and brawn are more fully developed, but the child is doing exactly what we would expect at that age. So, it is in the life of the spirit. [Pg. 47, Chapter: Prayer of Relinquishment]

O Lord, how do I let go when I’m so unsure of things? I’m unsure of your will, and I’m unsure of myself… That really isn't the problem at all, is it? The truth of the matter is that I hate the very idea of letting go. I really want to be in control. No, I need to be in control. That’s it, isn't it? I’m afraid to give up control, afraid of what might happen. Heal my fear, Lord.[Pg. 56, Chapter: Prayer of Relinquishment]

The reason for this is simple to see: by means of solitude God frees us from our bondage to people and our own inner compulsions. To enter into solitude, we must disregard what other think of us. Who will understand this call to aloneness? Even our closest friends will see it as a waste of precious time and rather self-centered. But, oh, the liberty that is released in our hearts when we let go of the opinions of others! [Pg. 63, Chapter: Formation Prayer]

~ Daniel Brockhan