Ephesians 3:16-17 – I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

Brother Roger of the Taize community once asked:

Will we have hearts large enough, imaginations open enough, love burning enough to enter upon the Gospel way, to live as a people who are reconciled, without delaying a single day? … (The love of Christ) can let the humble trusting of faith shine right into our human hearts.

He wants us back to the seriousness and simplicity of a life of prayer, an ongoing conversation with our Creator and the Christ and the Comforter.

Scary place to go, by the way, when we return to the heart. Many hearts are clogged with more than cholesterol…

unresolved emotions,
feelings,
repressed memories
and the emotional trials that have been evaded…

are all awaiting us. And, as we confront them, we realize that to pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. "If we are unwilling to change," says Richard Foster, "we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ." Prayer comes out of an identifiable need, a need to be in tune with and in touch with the spiritual realities of life, the matters of the heart, the human divine encounter that encourages such communication, and creates such change.

Prayer: Love Divine, fill us with love today – love for You, others, and maybe especially love for ourselves as we see how precious and loved we are by you. Thank you for the gift of love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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