The 30 day challenge (starting 3/6/11)
Some of the community at Solidarity are planning on trying this prayer for the next 30 days. The Prayers of Intention do not bring immediate results, but allow us to sit and be with God over a period of time and grow in our depth with Him. Join us for the next 30 days, practicing this prayer. It can be as quick as 5 mins or as long as 1 hour. Just leave the time open to what ever God may choose to do.
Here is a little bit of instruction (and someone to ask questions if you need more direction)...
Intro to the Prayer
We don't only want to love God through musical worship, prayer to him, or acts of service but we want to find a way to submit to His will and know, deep down in our hearts, that what He has for us is truly good and the best thing for us. But we are human, and we have our own desires and a stubbornness that fights for our desires. The Prayers of Intention (by Dr. John H. Coe) are four different prayers, meant to do daily, which opens our heart to God's will in various facets of our lives.
However, before you consider whether this prayer is worth your time, please know that this is not a remedy for your problems or a way to be a better Christian. The Holy Spirit works according to God’s divine wisdom and timing. Our part is simply to open our hearts to His presence and stirring in our heart. Unfortunately, the work of opening our hearts to Him is often easier said than done. Take courage though and may this prayer be a tool God uses to draw you ever nearer to Him!
It is highly recommended that you walk through this prayer with someone who has done it before. Please feel free to contact Jay Wu at jaywu@solidarityrising.org for more information.
Further details to help you facilitate your time.
1) Familiarize yourself with the actual prayer, which are the four italicized sections labeled Prayer of Intention and the John 15:5 verse. You may need to read through these prayers several times before you get comfortable to pray through it without reading it off the paper.
2) First thing in the morning, before you get out of bed, pray through these prayers. If you need to wash up first to wake yourself up that’s fine. The prayer can take as short as a few minutes to pray through or up to a significant length of time.
3) Being consistent with the prayer will help in the exercise as we turn our focus on the Spirit’s work in our heart.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (John 16:13-14)
4) Take note of what surfaces in your heart through this prayer exercise. During our next WNSF gathering we’ll provide space for those who participated in the exercise to share with the group.
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Prayers of Intention
Ways to Pray without Ceasing 1 Thess. 5:17
Dr. John H. Coe
Director, Institute for Spiritual Formation, Talbot School of Theology
© Copyright 2010 John H. Coe. All rights reserved.
To protect the heart from moralism and the flesh
To protect the heart from under-effort and the flesh
To open to the filling of the Spirit in all things and no longer be alone
1. Prayer of Presenting Oneself as a Sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2): the spiritual discipline of presenting oneself to God as a living sacrifice, open to Him and His will in all things.
Prayer of Intention: “Lord, I am here, I present myself to you. Here I am.”
This protects the will from becoming asleep to the will and Person of God.
2. Prayer of Recollection (Phil. 3:7-9): the spiritual discipline of reminding the self of its true identity in Christ (full pardon, full acceptance) and “Christ in me” (that I am not alone).
Prayer of Intention: “God, whatever I do today, I want to do this in you. I don’t want to do this alone, in my own power or as a way to hide and cover. I don’t want to find my identity in anything but Christ. I am in Christ and that is my true identity.” (Confess any idolatry)
This protects the life from idolatry, false identities and moralism or making decisions from false guilt, shame in life in the power of the self.
3. Prayer of Honesty (Ps. 15:1-2, Ps. 139:23-24): the spiritual discipline whereby we open to God and ourselves in what is truly going on in our heart in order for truth-telling to take place in our relationships and life in general.
Prayer of Intention: “Lord, what is going on in my heart right now with You, with others, with my life, my situations? Search me, O God, and know my heart. Open my heart to you today in truth, lest I deceive myself.” (Confess any idolatry)
This protects us from superficial obedience, from presenting ourselves in arrogance, closed heartedness, dullness of heart, etc. Let the heart be a mirror to the truth and open to God.
4. Prayer of Discernment (Eccles. 7:13-14): the spiritual discipline whereby we learn to watch what the Spirit is doing in us and not merely our work, to “consider the work of God,” what His will is in all things versus ours or the devil’s so that we can better cooperate with the Spirit. Here we seek wisdom on how to respond to His work that is ongoing within us.
Prayer of Intention: “Lord, what are you doing and what is it that you want me to become and do if I am to do your will?”
This protects us from responding to false calls of guilt of what to do in our life, to fantasy, to the demonic, to our grandiosity, to working alone. Here we learn to wait on God and watch His work more than our own.
5. In receptivity to the Spirit, hear the Word of God (Lectio Divina [Heb. 4:12])
(Jn. 15:5) “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
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