Discovered this prayer today:
A monk’s prayer I found today: my own translation. Prayers aren’t always short, as I’ve often proven. But this one, felt worthy of print-even virtual print!
I find it fascinating, the idea of praying for Jesus. Not that He needs it, but maybe, we do. That’s a prayer person’s ultimate privilege- taking it to da limit! Of course, He is also always praying for us, but i like this monk’s first step. How can I bless Jesus today? Enough about me, more about Thee. A bit of the John the Baptist thing—i must decrease, so He can increase.
I’m not a great translator, but here goes:
“We can relate to a few of His needs through our own dusty and partial versions of suffering, but can we enter The Father’s heart for Jesus Himself. Can we pray with the Father, for the Son. Of course, we are privileged to even be in that room, but I’m interested in that space. Can we offer our sufferings into His. Can we fellowship with His Sufferings, and then overflow outwards to partner with Him in His labors for others. Can we separate our soul needs and complaints, from His Needs? So that, we are not just ministering from our soul-power-or best intentions, but from His Spirit’s Power, which lives in that space between Father and Son.
Can we consecrate our sufferings until they stream into His, as David did in many of his best poem prayers? As Jeremiah did, while watching Jerusalem fall, as later Paul did, in chains. Can we make our prayers, His, so that they become the spirit of His Testimony, the essence of His Story—i.e. can we become, in short, living
acts of prophecy. Or as David put it—“I want to be a portent.” By praying for Him, in other words, can we contextualize our own sufferings in His. So we see ourselves as an instance of His suffering and His Glory!
(I like how this monk is always self-commentating as well. I relate to that awareness in prayer.)
Praying for Jesus today…I never think of praying for Him, just with Him, and pray what He is praying (that’s where prayer authority is), but today, i thought, hey, I will pray for Jesus, as if He were a friend (since He is). Were the disciples meant to be praying for Jesus when they fell asleep? I don’t want to fall asleep, I want to pray for You, in your hour of need.
Of course, it was for their good to pray and stay awake for Jesus, but still, why not pray for your best friend and teacher. It is for our good and transformation to tune into Jesus’ needs.
Plus, people who pray together, get to know one another on another level. Today, He let me pray for Him, which was cool.
Praying for Jesus was like overhearing the Father’s thoughts about His Son. I love being caught up in that space between them-Father and Son (the whole universe is caught up in that conversation really!)—
It’s, also, personally transformative of course, it changed me, because when I drew near, my name was whispered–our true self is illuminated in intercession, like Peter, when we see who Jesus, our own names are revealed—you see who I am, so I will show you who you are. The way to know ourselves is to seek to know and care about His Life. I will keep praying for Jesus, even if it is just for my own sake.”
I like this monk, and it was bold or even brazen of him to pray for Jesus. I also have found it true, that we get to know one another on another level, when we pray together.—spirituality is higher than religion. When we are moving in His Spirit together, we transcend our religious experiential baggage. The letter of the law, becomes the heart of the law.
I often tell couples, just pray together, and you will see each other through Him more, and less through your projections onto one another; and things tend to just sort themselves out in that space. Prayer cuts through lots of false ways of seeing ourselves, others and situations.
That’s the challenge this monk’s prayer left me with today anyways. Glad to come across it. One way to start, may be to consider praying “for” Jesus (this one who ever lives to pray and intercede for us), then perhaps we will be led to praying with Him; but we will at least have been given a new portion of His Father’s Heart for His Son, and through that for ourselves and the world.
Not that Jesus needs our prayers, i suppose it is mainly for us. But tuning into His Needs, transforms us. And puts us into a position where we are not constantly concerned with our own needs. We start to pray for others then, more from His Heart. We start to see our own trials as trails into Him and His. At least we join into, a monk’s best prayer. Thankful to find this one today. Sorry again for it’s longevity.
