As I read the conversation about unceasing prayer in The Pilgrim Continues His Way, I wrestled with some of its language. The discussion speaks of discipline, effort, and the human longing for God. I believe prayer matters deeply, and I also believe we are saved by grace through faith—not by our works.
As I kept reading, though, I began to understand prayer in a new way. We can pray as we go about our lives and allow prayer to guide how we think, choose, and treat one another. Even a small or distracted prayer can be a beginning. As we return to prayer, over time it can help us become more attentive to God.
The discussion of love of self made me pause. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The First Letter of John reminds us that loving God is bound up with loving others. I believe we also need to learn to see ourselves as God sees us: people who are loved and met with mercy. As we receive God’s grace, we can offer grace to ourselves and to others.
I picture this movement as a wedding ring: an unbroken circle of love received and shared. Marriage can symbolize union with God, as covenant love is continually given, received, and offered again.
I ask God to breathe on me. The Spirit’s breath nurtures the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That fruit gives me strength to live as salt and light and to become more fully the person God has called me to be.
I don’t believe there is one method that guarantees an encounter with God. People come to know God along different paths. For me, this is the work of grace: God reaches toward us in ways we may not always recognize at first. We respond through prayer and allow God to transform us.
This is what praying without ceasing is beginning to mean for me: staying connected to the source of life, God’s Spirit. I do not have to agree with every phrase in the chapter to receive something that helps me grow. Prayer is a continuing relationship. God’s grace reaches me, the Spirit renews me, and love flows through me toward myself and others.
I feel blessed to understand this more clearly today. Prayer is not only something I do; it is how I remain open to God’s presence and receive strength to live the life God has called me to live.
Prayer:
God, breathe on me. Keep me connected to your Spirit. Let your grace and mercy shape how I see myself and how I love others. Grow your fruit in me, and give me strength to be salt and light. Draw me ever deeper into your love. Amen.
Source: The Pilgrim Continues His Way, author unknown, translated by Olga Savin (Shambhala, 2001), Sixth Meeting, pp. 160–168.
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