THE PRAYER POOL

Our life in prayer is rather like going swimming!

Initially we are all playing, laughing, shouting and having fun around the edge, until we feel we need to get into the water. We either dive in, making a huge splash and disturbance of the water around us, OR ease ourselves in little by little, moving cautiously and barely making a ripple. Either way, we are eventually up to our necks in the water, immersed in it, feeling it all around us, becoming free and comfortable in this environment.

As we are comfortable, we swim more, and go deeper, until we are either treading water or under it. Ultimately we will be immersed in it, and so it is with prayer.

There comes a time when we are so immersed that our whole life, words, thoughts, actions, emotions, are simply woven with prayer, so joined that we don't stop and separate them to pray, but prayer flows in and out of everything we are, wherever we are. We BECOME prayer, rather than DO prayer.

At this point, it's as if we can breathe under water, and even when we hit really hot water, prayer explodes out of us in response, instead of being shut down.

Prayer begins as an external thing, but becomes an integral part of everything we are and do.

This leads us away from the noisy clamour and into a place where we can 'be still and know' our God. We begin to ponder His attributes and His greatness in our hearts rather than difficulties and circumstances, and so He become LORD in our lives, and over everything that concerns us.

Now we walk in and as prayer. We are full of thanksgiving and praise, and find the way is open when we speak to Him of what is in our hearts.

We are becoming those people the prophet Daniel speaks of who know their God, are mighty in the knowledge of Him, and can withstand the enemy!

We are held in a quiet place of humility, love, and wonder. We are in a place of becoming an unceasing prayer - as long as we have breath (which He gives us) we will be praying, because it is in Him we live, move and have our being, as He has instructed us to live.