Prayer a Close Encounter

Prayer is a face to face encounter. I wonder if this is why prayer is becoming increasingly uncommon and even unpopular in our time?

Is that a presumption on my part? Even judgmental some might say? There is something special about being face to face with another. Lovers look in the eyes of each other. But, at the other end of the relational spectrum when we are afraid we do not want to look in each other’s faces. And, in those moments of hatred and anger—all too common these days— we say things like, I want to look them in the eyes and see them suffer. This is when the face to face encounter intended to give us an experience of God through one another is taken in vain—for our own purposes—and possibly borders on the human equivalent of being blasphemouse and we desecrate the common image of God that is uniquely reflected through each one of us. This saddens me greatly these days.

This is why I believe prayer is more important than ever. Prayer is a face to face close encounter with God, ourselves and all of humanity. Prayer is the place where we draw close to one another in Love. This always changes the way we see each other and always increases the respect (to look twice) we have for each other as a human being made in the image of God.

In the Book of Exodus, we hear, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33:11). The context for this comment was the Tent of Meeting. This is where Moses discovered the inspiration that comes with a face to face encounter. Sometimes this phrase is translated as tent, but can also be dwelling place, tabernacle, and even sanctuary. There is something inherently sacred—or supposed to be—about our face to face encounters. From the negative, consider the moments when you feel the most saddened or angry with others. We say things like, they acted like I wasn’t even in the room thus implying you did not feel valued or seen. Prayer is a face to face encounter with God that has an implication, according to Exodus 34:29, “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.”

In the Gospel of John we are told God became flesh and dwelt among us (c.f. 1:14). If we are going to have a face to face encounter with God where we come away with our faces shining it will most likely be through one another. Paul, a missionary, of the early church continues along the themes of these phrases (tent, tabernacle, sanctuary) saying, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit (c.f. 1 Cor. 6:19). Friends, we were made to know (experience in a bodily way with one another) a face to face encounter with God that makes all our relationships to shine with his glorious loving presence. This is where the healing, the deliverance, fresh courage is imparted to us and so much more when we can see the presence of God in our lives.

You can see now in the light of God’s presence why the dark ways we are relating to each other these days are heartbreaking and could easily make us want to turn our face away (stop praying and meeting each other face to face vulnerably). But, God does not turn his face away on the cross when our treatment of Him was unsightly. Therefore, let us ask God for a renewed passion to pray as a face to face encounter with Him and then trust our face will shine like the sun (as Moses) in the places we walk each day—inspiring others to pursue the God who longs to show us His face and the loving possibilities that remain for our face to face encounters with others.

Check out this song and ask God for the same passion to know a prayerful relationship with him as an everyday face to face close encounter:

Heartbreaking Connection...

There are many things in life that will break our heart.  Most of the time these heartbreaks are defined by things we've lost.  We lose lovers.  We lose status.  We lose friends.  We lose our way in the world as society changes rapidly and relentlessly.  Our hearts break.

I'd like to talk to you about a different heartbreak--a heartbreak that brings connection.  

The older among us know more about this heartbreak than the "young lovers." As we grow older and society sidelines us by ceasing to market their products to us (trying to convince us we will never die) we begin to long for the things of life that really matter: connection.

Connection is hard to come by when we are young. We tend to be focused here on things, attributes, common interests, similar socioeconomic strata and more. The irrelevance that comes with aging in a society that worships youth (how many parents do you know that allow their kids to determine their lives) is almost depressing for those above 50. 

There is a freedom that comes with age, however, when you are no longer a part of the rat race.  The freedom?  Being alone.  When we begin to be alone we begin getting to know ourselves. And when we begin to get to know ourselves we discover the gift of having a self to offer to another.  This is the beginning of living connected with others.  Most of us would rather stay in the rat race of things, being a part of the in crowd societally, consuming (so we have a purpose) -- just to have a sense of belonging -- although it does nothing but strip our gears and add to our stress making us age faster without the living that can come with age.

Be encouraged to let go of the things you cling to so that we might be freed up to received the gift of ourselves and so begin to offer our lives to others.  There's nothing to hide behind as we age--may we receive the gift of years (Check out Joan Chittister's book, The Gift of Years) and begin offering ourselves to one another.

Oh yeah, one more thing, the word alone has roots that mean all + one.  The faster we let go of what society seeks to compulsively addict us to while we are younger, the more we will be able to realize we were never alone to begin with--we were all one--connected.

#lossisthewaytolife

"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39, NIV