Ten Minute Mystic: Part 2: Growing in Piety Through Praying Scripture (1)
Introduction
In his vision for life, Jesus speaks a great deal about prayer. He instructs us in the wrong way: “And when you pray, you must not…And when you pray, do not… (Matt. 6:5,7). And Jesus instructs us in the right way: “But when you pray…Pray then like this… (Matt. 6:6,9). It is clear that, for Jesus, prayer is one of the central practices for growing in piety.
Mark Thibodeaux suggests there are four kinds of prayer.[1] He illustrates each kind through a story about himself and his Aunt Sally.
- First, there is “Talking at God.” When Thibodeaux was four years old, his Aunt Sally came to visit. Tongue tied, Thibodeaux didn’t know what to say to her. His mother said, “Say ‘Hello Aunt Sally.’”; “Tell Aunt Sally how old you are.”; “Say, ‘I’m four years old.’” Thibodeaux’s mother gave him the words to say. Some prayer is like this. We invite someone else to give us the words we need to speak to God. We use someone else’s prayer for our own prayer. This is similar to our use of pre-written wedding vows or popular love songs—we use someone else’s words to say what we want to say but aren’t sure how to say. Thibodeaux calls these “ready-made prayers.”
- Second, there is “Talking to God.” When Thibodeaux was elementary aged, his Aunt Sally came for another visit. Thibodeaux told her all about a picture he had just finished drawing. This time, he didn’t need prompting from Mom. He just spontaneously spoke whatever came to mind. Some prayer is like this. It is spontaneous. We tell God whatever comes to mind. This is the most common kind of prayer.
- Third, there is “Listening to God.” When Thibodeaux was thirteen years old, Aunt Sally moved in with his family. She was too old to continue living by herself. On many occasions Thibodeaux would just listen as Aunt Sally told him stories about her life. Some prayer is like this. We sit in solitude and strive to listen as God speaks.
- Finally, there is “Being with God.” When Thibodeaux was in college, Aunty Sally was old and frail. He spent long periods with her in silence, neither one speaking, but both enjoying just being with one another. Some prayer is like this. The focus is not on speaking or listening but on simply being with God and resting in his presence.
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