Tuesday Fifth Week of Lent

TUESDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

Prayer Means Offering All to God

Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you. Psalm 102:1

To pray does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather it means to think and live in the presence of God. As soon as we begin to divide our thoughts into thoughts about God and thoughts about people and events, we remove God from our daily life and put him in a pious little niche where we can think pious thoughts and experience pious feelings. Prayer can only become unceasing prayer when all our thoughts – beautiful or ugly, high or low, proud or shameful, sorrowful or joyful – can be thought in the presence of God. The main question is not so much what we think, but to whom we present our thoughts.

Lord, help me to dwell in your presence today and in moments of prayer, give thanks for the faith you have given me.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

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