walking with Jesus

Today in A Year with the Church Fathers, St Basil tells us about finding a quiet place for our minds when we pray.

He tells us that it is important to separate ourselves from the cares (aka worries) of this world so that we can discern the still, small voice that God uses to speak to us.

There are many ways to do this. Some people like to go in their rooms very early in the morning and sit or kneel, finding God before they start their day. That works beautifully for many people. It does NOT work for me.

What works for me, which I present for your consideration, is the prayer walk. When I talk about walking with Jesus each day, I mean it literally. Every day for the past several years, I take a walk that last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or so, and I do it in the evening or at night, when I"m actually awake. During this prayer, I seek God. He does meet me there each time, and sometimes He tells me things. Other times I am simply in His presence. I bring my concerns to Him. I thank Him for the good in my life, and there is always good, even on the worst days during the worst years. And then I spend the last half of my prayer interceding for others. I have a list that I go through each day, praying for people I know and people I have never met. And at the end of my prayer, I ask for the intercession of the saints.

This is what works for me. Sometimes I see things on my prayer walks, like a squirrel or a flower. They become part of my prayer. The quality of my prayer is no greater or no less whether I'm walking the same path every day, or if I'm walking somewhere I've never been (like today). WHERE I am isn't important... Who I'm with is what matters. And walking keeps me awake, alert, and energized for our conversation.

If praying in your room or at the church works for you, go for it! If not... maybe try a prayer walk.

God, thanks for meeting us when we seek Your face... no matter where or when.