"Counsels Along the Way"

 Foster's first chapter in his book on prayer concludes with some advice and a word of hope. The advice comes in five thoughts, which I will summarize here:

1. "...prayer is nothing more than an ongoing and growing relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." It is about loving him.
2. We should never be discouraged that we are not praying more. Desiring prayer is itself a type of prayer. Hard hearts will be softened slowly by prayer.
3. We shouldn't try too hard to pray. We aren't ready for it yet, any more than a weekend jogger is ready for a marathon.
4. We should pray even when in times of struggle with sin - bring the struggle itself to God.
5. Don't seek eventful (perhaps he means also emotional) prayer experiences in the beginning. Be content to rest in the Father's arms.

My reflections on these points: I struggle with the first one. My feelings are quite muted because of the medication I have to take. It is hard for me to feel love or joy or delight. I understand what he is saying about discouragement. And I wonder if my recent longing for more prayer, and this effort in journaling, isn't his way of drawing me more into prayer. Even as I type, I feel as if I'm praying this over with him.

I am so guilty of number 3. I try to bite off too much at once and then I can't keep it up because of life's demands, so I feel discouraged and guilty and just quit. I am also guilty of number 5. I long to FEEL God's presence in prayer and so strive for that, pleading, or trying to get it just right. And then get discouraged, believing that I have done something wrong or missed some crucial step. 

The final section of the chapter is, to me, a word of hope. There is real danger in Simple Prayer, as we can become so self centered. But he indicates that as we continue in even this most basic of prayers, God begins to shift our hearts so that he is at the center, rather than myself. I do feel like I need a week or so of practice in this type of prayer. I need to pour out my honest thoughts and feelings to God more routinely and more fully. And I need to simply rest, like a child, in knowing that he is there, even if I don't have a sense of it.