Redefining Prayer: The Heart and The Head in Harmony

 
 
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1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (p.1094)
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Prayer
A complex word
brings many thoughts to mind
Positive and negative
Often compartmentalized
Let’s redefine prayer today
 
 
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Pray continually
How?
24/7?
Good news
It is not as hard as you think!
 
 
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Why we pray?
Our Father already knows what we need – Mt 6:8
Do we even need to pray?
YES!!!!
Prayer is our way to God!
 
 
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We approach prayer from two places
The ‘head’ = our knowledge or mind for prayer
The ‘heart’ = our motivation and practice of prayer
It is the ‘heart’ that keeps us from prayer
Lack of motivation
It is harder than we want it to be!
 
 
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The ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ must come together
How the thoughts of our hearts become one
continuous prayer
This is the beginning of redefining prayer
 
 
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Learning something new
It’s difficult at first
Have a teacher or expert teach us
Use resources
Christians have:
The master teacher
The best resources
 
 
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Teacher: Jesus
Resource: The Psalms
The prayer book of the Jewish people and the
early church
This was Jesus’ prayer book
“The great school of prayer” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Teaches us:
To pray according to the word of God
What we should pray
To pray the purposes of God
 
 
 
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Practice = repetition
Perseverance
Continuing on with the teacher
Using the resources
Hopeful’s prayer in 
Pilgrim’s Progress
Repetition brings the ‘head’ and ‘heart’
together and ultimately forms us.
 
 
 
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John Cassian – 4
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and monk
Short prayers
Praying without ceasing is the goal!
“…the goal is that the soul rises each day to the things
of the spirit until all its living and all its wishing
become one unending prayer.”
 
 
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Cassian exercise of ‘short prayer’
Repetition and the Psalms – Psalm 70:1
“Come to my help O God, Lord hurry to my
rescue.”
It is short!
Suitable for any situation!
Not a compartmentalized prayer!
All encompassing!
 
 
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When we do this
We speak living words
The Word of God is freed in us
He is revealed in our ‘head’ and ‘heart’
Using the same words as Jesus did we are invited
into the intimate space of the Father
As we connect with God – he forms us
The ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ become one!
 
 
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More than repetition
The Spirit and the Word is at work in me
It brings my ‘head’ and ‘heart’ together
I settle into God’s presence and become aware of
it during the day
I am on the road to unending prayer
Is it worthwhile to pursue this? YES!
 
 
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Redefine Prayer  - 
The ‘head’ and ‘heart’ for the
transformation of the soul
‘Try on’ Cassian’s short prayer
“Come to my heart O God, Lord hurry to my
rescue.”
 
 
 
 
Come to my help O God,
Lord hurry to my rescue.
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Prayer is more than a mere ritual - it is about uniting the thoughts of our hearts with the understanding of our minds. By approaching prayer with both knowledge and motivation, we can redefine our prayer life and make it a continuous conversation with God. Learning from Jesus and the Psalms, practicing repetition, and persevering with hope all contribute to forming a deeper connection with prayer - where the head and heart align seamlessly.


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  1. From the heart From the heart 7. Redefining Prayer 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (p.1094)

  2. Prayer Prayer A complex word brings many thoughts to mind Positive and negative Often compartmentalized Let s redefine prayer today

  3. Pray Continually Pray continually How? 24/7? Good news It is not as hard as you think!

  4. Pray Continually Why we pray? Our Father already knows what we need Mt 6:8 Do we even need to pray? YES!!!! Prayer is our way to God!

  5. 1. Approach to Prayer We approach prayer from two places The head = our knowledge or mind for prayer The heart = our motivation and practice of prayer It is the heart that keeps us from prayer Lack of motivation It is harder than we want it to be!

  6. 1. Approach to Prayer The head and the heart must come together How the thoughts of our hearts become one continuous prayer This is the beginning of redefining prayer

  7. 2. How Do We Do This? Learning something new It s difficult at first Have a teacher or expert teach us Use resources Christians have: The master teacher The best resources

  8. 3a. Teacher and Resource Teacher: Jesus Resource: The Psalms The prayer book of the Jewish people and the early church This was Jesus prayer book The great school of prayer Dietrich Bonhoeffer Teaches us: To pray according to the word of God What we should pray To pray the purposes of God

  9. 3b. Repetition Practice = repetition Perseverance Continuing on with the teacher Using the resources Hopeful s prayer in Pilgrim s Progress Repetition brings the head and heart together and ultimately forms us.

  10. 3b. Repetition John Cassian 4th century Christian theologian and monk Short prayers Praying without ceasing is the goal! the goal is that the soul rises each day to the things of the spirit until all its living and all its wishing become one unending prayer.

  11. 3b. Repetition Cassian exercise of short prayer Repetition and the Psalms Psalm 70:1 Come to my help O God, Lord hurry to my rescue. It is short! Suitable for any situation! Not a compartmentalized prayer! All encompassing!

  12. 4. The Results When we do this We speak living words The Word of God is freed in us He is revealed in our head and heart Using the same words as Jesus did we are invited into the intimate space of the Father As we connect with God he forms us The head and the heart become one!

  13. 4. The Results More than repetition The Spirit and the Word is at work in me It brings my head and heart together I settle into God s presence and become aware of it during the day I am on the road to unending prayer Is it worthwhile to pursue this? YES!

  14. Living It Redefine Prayer - The head and heart for the transformation of the soul Try on Cassian s short prayer Come to my heart O God, Lord hurry to my rescue.

  15. Come to my help O God, Lord hurry to my rescue.

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