Adoration

September 19, 2008

There is a point in Celtic Daily Prayer (CDP) to pray freely, and for others. What do you pray for? At the risk of sounding too audacious I offer the following pattern which has guided me in the past.

  1. The morning prayer time is an excellent opportunity to engage in centering our lives in God as we pray. Centering prayer is simply this: becoming internally quiet (going into the center of our being) in order to receive a word or phrase from the Lord. After receiving this word we dwell on it for a few minutes until God releases us as we rest in Him. The image of centering prayer is that of a baby snuggling in her mother’s arms resting and dwelling in her presence.
  2. During free prayer, I also take a moment to ask the Lord what prayers he desires to hear from me today. I listen, then pray what I am trusting God desires to hear.
  3. Adoration follows. Adoration is the kind of attention from us God loves to get. He loves to hear us tell him our praises and say our thanks. What we can and should praise and thank God for is endless. In adoration we pay close attention to God by recounting to him his acts and his graces. I have a few friends who at times tell me how wonderful I am. Frankly, I find it embarassing. But God does not get embarassed. He deserves all the praise and thanks we direct his way.

The blessings that are mine are all the reasons I need to praise and thank God. When I add to that our collective blessings as a people and a nation it becomes even imperative to adore God constantly. I adore him and hold nothing back, telling God how wonderful his blueberry tastes and how much I admire his majestic and graceful blue whale.

Eugene Petersen says that spirituality (our experiences of the actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives is local and ordinary as opposed to experiences by a yoga guru positioned on a mountain top in Tibet. It’s earthy or of the earth, of real life, day in and day out. It happens when we shop for groceries, or when we walk the dog, or eat a hot dog. It’s what we experience with our senses regularly. Adoration (giving expression to what we experience of the goodness of God) actualizes our spirituality.

What part does adoration play in your prayer?

Posted by georges boujakly | Filed Under Celtic Daily Prayer, Morning Prayer, Sacred Rhythm 

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