From prayer to love in action

Jyoti stands amazed that Jesus, in spite of his daily busy schedule of healing and helping people, found time to be alone in communion with His Father. Jyoti has realized that the life of solitude and silence is not anti-social; rather silence provides the ambience to hear God’s voice and see what God is doing. This strengthens her to love God and other people dearly. The withdrawal in prayer is for a deeper encounter with God.

Prayer and meditation on God’s Word not only energises but also brings about healing and flourishing of life. It protects engagement in society from just being a form of activism. We experience a natural outflow of blessing from time spent in prayer, seeking God’s face to active love.

Our response to Jesus’ call, “Come follow Me” (Matt. 19:21), is intimately bound with the practice of prayer. Prayer connects us with God and others, and teaches us how to love. Prayer is the first step on the way toward becoming a new people, in whom the love of God is poured by the Holy Spirit, to become a universal community of God’s love and compassion.

Prayer is much more than a technique. The early Christians left us no how-to-do manuals on prayer. In prayer and meditation, we participate in the love of God. We are drawn out of ourselves, away from the familiar, and conform to the path of Christ. This transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6).  To live the truth our words and actions must   combine together. Only then do we become a witness to the truth before a watching and questioning world! When we live in dependence upon God, our actions portray that we care and are mindful of the presence of God, then it is a form of prayer. Do we desire God’s presence and do our deeds reveal the love of God in action?