Search This Blog

Friday, May 2, 2008

Friday Five Prayer


Sally posted "Part of the Ascension Day Scripture from Acts 11 contains this promise from Jesus;

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Then he was taken from their sight into the clouds, two angels appeared and instructed the probably bewildered disciples to go back to Jerusalem, where they began to wait and to pray for the gift Jesus had promised.

Prayer is a joy to some of us, and a chore to others, waiting likewise can be filled with anticipation or anxiety....

So how do you wait and pray?"

1. How do you pray best, alone or with others?
Actually, my form of prayer is more mindfulness meditation, these days. Sitting still, emptying my mind and being. I can do this alone or with others around but ultimately I am alone.

2. Do you enjoy the discipline of waiting, is it a time of anticipation or anxiety?
I don't really like to wait. I'm waiting for my contract prescribed raise right now and just found out it doesn't go into effect until late June and since I've been waiting through the negotiations, change of governors etc. well, it's time for it to show up in my paycheck. Bureaucracy!

3. Is there a time when you have waited upon God for a specific promise?
When I was a child, but I learned my lesson.

4. Do you prefer stillness or action?
I have been in both camps, but I seem to have moved to the action camp these days. As in God help those who...

5. If ( and this is slightly tongue in cheek) you were promised one gift spiritual or otherwise what would you choose to receive?
I'd like to be able to feed the masses! To cure global hunger. I live mere blocks away from the largest food pantry in NYC and the lines get longer and longer.

11 comments:

Sally said...

excellent play, I love your thinking on#5

Unknown said...

I hear you.

Diane M. Roth said...

ah, what a great number 5! curing global hunger would be a great gift!

(I don't like waiting either)

Anonymous said...

Ah... I'm really loving these selfless gifts that we would ask. I'm afraid I was much more selfish in mine. Sigh. :-)

I'm interested in the "learned my lesson" part in question 4. I suspect there's a good story there. But I think I hear the part about waiting upon God, but perhaps not for specifically, exactly, what we've asked for.

Happy Friday!
hedwyg

Teri said...

I love your number 5! That would be a great thing to be able to do.

RevAnne said...

Great #5...I wouldn't have thought of something so outwardly focused. Shame on me---but good on you!

Dorcas (aka SingingOwl) said...

"..lines getting longer and longer." :-(

Barbara B. said...

Yes, action camp all the way! :)

Terri said...

Oh gosh...I can only imagine the lines...solving hunger around the world really ought to be a manageable issue, don't you think?

revhipchick said...

wonderful play, your gift would be fantastic for everyone--you are a beautiful soul!

Rachel said...

Love love love the image you used and play. Let us all be so mindful about hunger and give us eyes to see what is happening in our own neighborhoods. Wonderful.