A Few Words About The Spirit - Pt. 6

Today we are going to conclude this week's study on the Holy Spirit through our Daily Devos.  

In the Jewish tradition there are literally prayers for all aspects of life--because, according to the ancient rabbis, being open to God requires a shift in your understanding about what is sacred and what is "profane"---another word for what is seemingly earthy and not holy. 

In fact there is a very old "privy" prayer that is meant to be prayed after you have finished doing your business in the privy, which is the old English word for bathroom.   

Listen to this from Rabbi Abayei:

"Abayei said, when one comes out of a privy he should say: Blessed is He who has formed man in wisdom and created in him many orifices and many cavities. It is obvious and known before Your throne of glory that if one of them were to be ruptured or one of them blocked, it would be impossible for a man to survive and stand before You. Blessed are You that heals all flesh and does wonders."

In case you were wondering if that was a prayer of thanksgiving for your being able to go potty---you are correct. 

This kind of prayer life gives new meaning to the word incessantly.  A person who is praying incessantly is so open to the incredible, joyous energy of the Holy Spirit they actually pay attention to the wonders of their own body and how it works.  True, there is an earthiness to this prayer that might less than genteel, but that's kind of the point.

There's nothing more honest than saying to God: "Thank you that my body works like it's supposed to----Oh, and thank you for air freshener, as well." 

By now I hope I have your attention.  Stop giggling.

So what happens when you are honest and open in your prayer life?  Does anything really happen when we pray? 

We already know that there is a massive, largely invisible energy exchange going on between us and the world around us all of the time.  And we have given the source of that energy a name--the Holy Spirit of God. 

What I think is also happening is this:  The Holy Spirit of God is flowing all around us in us and through us, and when we are incessantly praying with openness and honesty we find we are close to God and "tapped in" to that energy.  We are more able to hear the voice of God speaking, to notice the way God is revealing Godself all around us...


And to be connected with others who are also surrounded by this same energy. 


Continuous prayer--incessant prayer-- is truly formed by a constant pattern of honesty and openness to the God who is still speaking, still connecting, still surrounding us.  And this continuous prayer keeps us tapped in to the Holy Spirit energy that is between us and all around us--energy that connects us to one another and to the Divine.

May you spend today in continuous prayer--tapping in to the Holy Spirit energy in you, through you and around you all day.  May you find yourself filled with a new sense of openness to the movement of the Spirit and the voice of God, and may this fill you with unbelievable joy. 

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.