PRAYER!

Over the past few years prayer has taken on a more intimate meaning in my life. I relate to this week's passage a lot and I want to share a just a few moments that were most powerful for me.

"in him we live, move, and have our being" Acts 17:28 and "the king and the kingdom are within you" - and Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own-1 corinthians 6:19- is a verse that has really stuck with me since this past summer. For me, these verses all demonstrate the relationship we are blessed to share with our Creator.

Prayer demonstrates a desire to actively participate in this relationship!

I love the visual of praying and breathing. I have found, especially since I started at St. Olaf, that without ceaseless prayer I lose sight of my dependence on God, and because I find my identity in Christ, I will lose sight of who I really am.

When we pray as we breathe we immerse ourselves in our relationship with God, viewing everything around us in light of it.

Also- another reference to the Holy Spirit: ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you.(John 14:16-17)

He lives in us and will be in us?! This rocks my world. What an incredible gift! We aren't alone so we shouldn't pretend like we are. ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP!

Prayer is calming, energizing, comforting, challenging, encouraging, revealing, its pretty much everything.

My challenge for myself and everyone is to embrace prayer as the gift that it truly is. Our cries, praises, and concerns are heard, because we are in relationship with a God who truly loves us, more than we will ever comprehend.

Love

Anneliese(adk)