Prayers Anytime, Anywhere
Face to face with God
Usually when we think of talking to God, we should think of how God spoke in a powerful way to the prophets in the Old Testament. This is indeed one of the ways God speaks to man, but it is not all. We sometimes also think of the private “words” or “touches” people receive from God in charismatic ministry. Likewise, this is one of the ways God speaks, but it is not all.
When I start talking about communicating with God, I want to look at the prophet of the true God—Moses—from the book of Exodus. Exodus 33:11 says this: “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” To me, this is the core of the prophetic tradition.
Face-to-face conversation with God is not just the privilege of those great men of faith in ancient times; today we can also become such face-to-face friends with God.
From what the prophets have said throughout the ages, we can see a focus on the relationship between God and man: pursue a close friendship with God and encourage others to do the same.
Communication is the bridge to friendship; the way to communicate with God is to pray. Prayer itself involves the unity of the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects. We need to pray because we are created for God. Prayer keeps us connected to the vine (see John 15). In this way, as children of God, we can bear much fruit. I think almost all Christians agree that we should pray frequently, but everyone has different opinions on the method and frequency.
Separate time periods, or uninterrupted conversations?
Let’s talk about the method first. Some believe there should be a specific place and time set aside from the schedule to go into the inner room and offer prayers. I agree with this approach and think it should be more than that. The purpose of this type of prayer is for us to receive God’s grace in our daily lives and to be able to walk in righteousness. So it is really important to have some quiet time away from the world and away from the hustle and bustle.
But this alone is not enough. This way of praying seems to say that if you pray today, God will bless this day. Then leave Him in that inner room until tomorrow at the same time, when you return to the same place to find Him.
Doesn’t the Bible teach to “pray without ceasing”? Is it possible that there is another way to have God be with us in everything we do? Or better yet, our walk with God? Is it possible to enter into an ongoing dialogue with God the Father?
那就是「簡單祈禱」（prayer of simplicity）。之所以簡單，是因為不必大費周章就可以祈禱；因為透過聖靈，聖父和聖子已經住在我們裡面。禱告只需要我們轉向內在，與祂進行交流。
幾個世紀以來，基督教神祕主義者一直操練這種禱告，來全心全意愛神，並時刻與祂溝通。這樣的教導代代相傳，啟發了許多神學家，如：約翰衛斯理、親岑多夫伯爵（Count Zinzendorf），和勞倫斯修士（Brother Laurence）。
以這種形式禱告，即使離開了「神聖空間」，禱告也不會、不必停止。 這也是為甚麼我用「安靜」時間（quiet time），而不用「靈修」（devotional）或「祈禱」時間 （prayer time）。這說法假定一旦預留的時間到了，禱告或靈修就結束。通過簡單祈禱，任何空間都可以成為與主相遇的神聖空間。
I can seem to hear people saying, "Well, that means you're not advocating for Christians to have a separate time for prayer." That's not what I meant at all. What I want to say is that by quietly communing with God in no specific space, the anointing received can overflow into your life throughout the day.
Turn inward, He is there
Suppose I fall in love with someone. Oftentimes (especially in Western culture) I will take the person out on a date so that the two of us can get to know each other better and therefore fall deeper in love. Over time, this person and I will probably get married and commit our lives to each other. Should we continue dating after reaching this more intentional level of love? Sure. Taking dating time out of your daily routine will deepen your intimacy and make your relationship more special.
Should I just date? Absolutely not. In some ways, we become part of each other; living together, eating together, watching TV shows together, together..., together.... Just as in God's marriage to our souls, it should be natural for the closeness between Him and us to develop into a closer relationship than mere occasional alone time.
那麼該如何實踐？「簡單祈禱」其實深受蓋恩夫人所著《更深經歷耶穌基督》 （Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ）的啟發。有興趣的讀者可以從書中找到更多有關實踐的內容。
The following can be a good place to start:
- The first thing to emphasize is that this禱告方式需要心靈和意志非常真實地降服；有時我會想像把自己的心交給神。雖然神不會凌駕於你的願望和你想做的事情之上，但如果不先把這些放下，就難以明白祂的旨意和願望。也許輕聲呼求「天父」，或「願祢的國降臨，願祢的旨意成就」，能幫助我們起手操練這樣的降服。
- Once peace of mind and will is achieved, silence and isolation from the external environment can help. thereforeQuiet time is very important.
- NextRequires confidence and patience, that is, the belief that God will truly reward those who seek Him. During these times, I am often overcome by a presence that is not mine. Such presence usually brings peace, joy, comfort, and love.
- live with him. Stay with His presence, and like Joshua, remain in the tabernacle even when it feels like He is gone (see Exodus 33:11).
- Whether His presence comes or does not come,Everyone should be grateful.
- When the "quiet time" ends,Invite God to walk with you. When you don’t notice His presence in your daily life, just turn inward and look for Him. Understanding that the Kingdom of God is indeed within us and that the King’s abode is in our hearts is how we can encounter Him at any time. These moments of turning inward and retreating within are the basis for continuous prayer throughout the day.
(The original text was published in the English section of issue 74 of this journal.)
Note: Refer to Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Chris, by Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon.
Mauborn（Brandon Morgan），KRC英文Arctos事工主要同工之 一。目前在美國波士頓擔任領導力協調員、研究員、顧問。 他對教會的合一極有熱情，也喜歡攀岩、閱讀、寫作，還有用真正的紙牌玩接龍。他和Arctos團隊也樂意接受教會邀請，前往帶領溝通工作坊。請聯繫contact@e-krc.org。
Read more from Mauborn:
From Understanding to Compassion
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