"He continued to pray just as he had always done."
Daniel 6:10
Begin
Silence, Stillness, and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:14–17
For
those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. The Spirit you
received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received
brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit
himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we
are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory.
Devotional
Jesus constantly addressed the Almighty, eternal, infinite Yahweh as “Abba,” an intimate,
warm, familiar word a child would use––not unlike “Daddy.” The heart of the Gospel is that
Jesus gives his disciples the authority to address God as Father. Through Jesus, we too,
are Abba’s child.
Contemplative spirituality moves us along toward a more mature relationship with God. We
progress from the “give me, give me, give me” attitude of a small child to a more mature
way of relating with God in which we delight in being with him as our “Abba Father.” The
progression of this movement can be broken down as follows:
•
Talking
at God: This
is simply parroting what our parents or authorities told us to pray. For example, “Bless me, Lord, for these thy gifts,
which we are about to receive through
Christ our Lord, amen.”
•
Talking
to God: We
become more comfortable finding our own words to
speak to God, rather than using the ready-made prayers of our childhoods.
For example, “Give me, give me, give me more, O
God.”
•
Listening
to God: At
this point we begin to listen to God, and we begin to enjoy a two-way
relationship with him.
•
Being
with God: Finally,
we simply enjoy being in the presence of God––who
loves us. This is far more important than any particular activity we might do
with him. His presence makes all of life
fulfilling. 86
Questions
to Consider
What
fears are you carrying that you can release to your Abba Father today?
Prayer
Lord,
I believe that living a life in your presence is what makes all of
life fulfilling. I am just
not sure how to get to that point in my spiritual walk. I want to grow
beyond a “give me, give me” relationship with you. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I might learn to enjoy
being with you and stop simply going to you for your gifts and blessings. In Jesus’ name,
amen.
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http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/dailyoffice.pdf
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