IN CONSTANT PRAYER

What does it mean when the Bible says pray without ceasing? That is a question that caught my eye when I began reading IN CONSTANT PRAYER by Robert Benson an author that has challenged my thinking on the importance of prayer to a growing Christian.
Explaining the office, he says, in simplest terms, the daily office is a regular pattern and order for formal worship and prayer that is offered to God at specific times throughout the course of the day. Each set of prayers known as an office, is made up of psalms, scriptures and prayers. It is the sort of prayer that is most often associated with monastic communities and the most liturgical and sacramental parts of our church.
As I kept on reading, I realized that for people that have not been exposed to ancient way of worship; I being one of them, may find this kind of prayer to be completely new and more than a little bewildering! Truly speaking, this is one book I have read and many times wondered if I was agreeing with the writer. For me, prayer has always been communicating to my Father, my King and Creator who says that He can be known so personally. This then would make me be adamant to fixing hours at specific time to talk to Him! I should and ought to do that every and any time I want.
Yet, we actually can find ourselves not praying in the name of I cannot fix a time for Him!! This knowledge has made me realize that maybe we need to fix time like the ancients did. They must have had a good reason. I mean, this practice was sustained for ages and most of the men that did exploits, were part of this. Even Jesus!!
We probably would want to ask and this is a question I have asked myself; how then do I begin? What do I tell God throughout the day for the many number of times the officer has to be said? Doesn’t it make prayer sound so ‘fake’? This is a question that would come from an evangelical that has often spent time so emotionally into prayer, so that prayer without some tears and groaning would almost seem artificial! I have come to realize from this book that it is I who needs prayer more than God because I am connecting to the divine! I am connecting to He with whom my live revolves and fins meaning. I need and maybe we all need to understand that so that we may take prayer with the seriousness it deserves.
Plan! That it should be part of our TO-DO-LIST for every day. You and I know that with our kind of schedules, the things we never put down; never get done and maybe, we have not been praying because we have not prioritized! That is dangerous.
We have scriptures and the psalms and songs… these are then the materials that would be important in scheduling our prayers and with time, get to write down prayers of thanksgiving, of peace, of journeys and even love to our Maker!!
The Word has power and I will quote a page in the book to end this review! This caught my attention:
The office is just a collection of words. But words are powerful things. Who knows what a single one of them might do to us overtime?
In the beginning was the Word—and here is everything else now, including me and you and all that there is, seen and unseen, all of it alive with life of that single word. From which has flowed grace upon grace.
Words are powerful things.
The daily office offers me rich, powerful, profound words that can change and shape me. Words that have been given as a gift through the ages to me and to you. Words that can grow in me and give voice to the groaning of my heart when I cannot. Words that can teach me to be attentive to and to perceive the meaning of the work of God. Words that will lead me into deeper and deeper communion with God.
But not if I do not say them.
Realize he ends with: not if I do not say them.