My Prayer Is Not Whimpering or Begging!

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Isaiah 54
NT: Romans 7
W&W: Psalm 80

Today’s Reflection:

I mentioned in yesterday’s post a quote from Nikos Kazantzakis in the Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises, as quoted in A Guide to Prayer, pp 115-116. I want to continue it here:

My prayer is not the whimpering of a beggar nor a confession of love. Nor is it the trivial reckoning of a small tradesman: Give me and I shall give you.
My prayer is the report of a soldier to his general: this is what I did today, this is how I fought to save the entire battle in my own sector, these are the obstacles I found, this is how I plan to fight tomorrow.
My God and I are horsemen galloping in the burning sun or under drizzling rain. Pale, starving, but un-subdued, we ride and converse.
“Leader!” I cry. He turns his face towards me, and I shudder to confront his anguish.
Our love for each other is rough and ready, we sit at he same table, we drink the same wine in this low tavern of life.

May God bless us so that we can love him with this kind of fervent and hearty love!

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Put 1 John 1.5-10 together: 5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.