Dear Parish Family,
As many of you know, we’ve recently begun the Year of Prayer, and thus, we’ve focused in this last month on the basics of how to have an interpersonal relationship with God through a regular prayer life. May I offer you a challenge for 2019? I encourage you to make the commitment to pray daily in a silent place, preferably for thirty minutes, but even if it’s as little as five minutes or anywhere in between.
Many of you resonated with the simple description of prayer that utilized the acronym A-R-R-R. For those who don’t remember what every R stands for, below is a little review:
The “ARRR” Prayer
Acknowledge–Acknowledge the presence of the One before you; acknowledge God’s presence within you and around you.
Relate–Relate to God your worries and anxieties, your joy or gratitude—wherever you are right now, whatever is going on. Be honest and open.
Receive–Receive what God has to say, His response. Allow Him to minister to you. Be persistent in listening. The Holy Spirit often speaks through the movement of our hearts and minds. Let God order/prioritize your life.
Respond–Thank and praise God for this time spent with Him. With any moment of clarity or direction, commit to follow through (form a resolution).
Praying daily and asking God to enlighten how best to live my day in his will was a decision that completely changed my life, as it has countless other Christians in realizing that God desires to be involved in our everyday lives and decisions. I invite you to make that life-changing decision this 2019.
Happy New Year!