Prayer
Finding the Heart’s True Home
by Richard Foster
Week 10
Part 1— Moving
Inward
Chapter 6— Covenant
Prayer
“What we need is a desire to know the whole will of
God, with a fixed resolution to do it.”
John Wesley
OPENING PRAYER
1. Covenant prayer is a “profound interior heart call to a
God-intoxicated life”.
Personal
decision to sacred commitment, holy obedience
“My
heart is fixed” Ps 57:7
2. Understandable Fear
What
is “absolute freedom”?
Are
you a disciplined person, or a go-with-the-flow person?
Why
do we fear commitment?
Freedom
through discipline
“When
undertaken in the power of the Spirit, acts of duty can be filled with great joy
and blessing.”
Duty:
the sacrament of the present moment—what does that mean?
Eccles.
5:5
Attempts
vs. perfection—the more we encounter God, the more we want
3. Covenants
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Christ
4. Holy Obedience
We
can’t. Holy obedience is God’s business.
The
Hound of Heaven—there at the first sign we are ready.
Experiences
of God
Cultivate
the habit of God-directed mind and heart.
Breath
prayers, inner dialogue
Habit
of obedience
Who
is doing the work? Holy compulsion.
“Settled
peace in the expectation of events beyond our control”
St.
Benedict’s Rule—regular intervals
Carry
a notebook
5. Covenant of Place
Stability
Gift
of focus—set the stage
Accountability
to a community
Spiritual
director
Small
group
6. Covenant of Heart Preparation
Holy
Expectancy—imagine walking into the courts of the Lord
Holy
Silence
Holy
Prayer of Preparation—light a candle, cup of coffee, music, holy office
7. Trysting Prayer
Special
Date with God
Wasting
time with God
|
1
|
JUST AS I AM—
Elliott/Bradbury
Just as I am, without
one plea,
But that Thy blood was
shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me
come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I
come!
|
|
2
|
Just as I am, and
waiting not
To rid my soul of one
dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can
cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
|
|
3
|
Just as I am, though
tossed about
With many a conflict,
many a doubt;
Fightings within, and
fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
|
|
4
|
Just as I am, poor,
wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing
of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee
to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
|
|
5
|
Just as I am, Thou wilt
receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon,
cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I
believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
|
|
6
|
Just as I am, Thy love
unknown
Has broken every barrier
down;
Now, to be Thine, yea,
Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I
come!
|
Closing Prayer
Blessed Savior, I pace back and
forth at the altar of commitment. I
really do want a fixed habit of prayer.
At least, that is what I want right now.
I’m not sure if that is what I will want 2 weeks from now. I do know that without some kind of
consistent communion with you I will not know holy obedience. So, best as I can, I promise to set aside
time regularly for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. Strengthen me in this covenant. Help me to so delight in your presence that I
will want to come home to you often. In
your name and for your sake I make this covenant. Amen.
You can share our lessons with others who can’t be
here in person by referring them to
http://christian-transformationblog.blogspot.com
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