“Dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:20 MSG)
I have a love/hate relationship with Yoga. I like the stretchy parts...but the slow movements,the still positions, and the deep breaths are not suited to my temperament. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything. Like most people, I am used to taking shallow breaths as I go about my daily activity. Taking time to be still and breathe seems, somehow, unproductive.
Stillness, solitude, and silence are all prerequisites to awareness. There is a part of us that is holy--consecrated and set apart for sacred use. It is a deep, inner chamber that we rarely access. Usually we operate from the superficial, outer layers of our psyche. The Spirit of God dwells deep within us. And we must breathe deeply in order to hear His voice. Praying is like spiritual breathing. We can either have shallow prayers or deep prayers that originate from the core of our spirit. The English word, spirit, originates from the Latin words spirare (to breathe) and spiritus (breath). Thus, praying in the Holy Spirit is equivalent to allowing God’s sacred breath to flow through us. Our prayers become inspired, motivated, and guided by the Spirit. As we learn to submit, we are overtaken by His influence; we become receptive to His revelations; we move closer to the center of God’s love.
May the sacred breath of God inspire, guide, and motivate our prayers.
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