Originally posted by shannonL:
Why does Warren reccomend "breath prayers" in his book? He uses I. Thess 5: 17 - Pray all the time Msg. He then proceeds to tell us how Brother Lawrence,a cook in a french monastary ran around praying these little breath prayers all the time PDL pg.89. Paul was talking about being in an "attitude" of prayer in that passage. We don't have to go around saying these repetative prayers to stay close to God. Ole Bro. Lawrence might have had to do that because he was probably trying to work his way into heaven being Catholic. Rick also quotes Bro.Lawrence at the bottom of page 88 - "I do not advise you to use a great multiplicity of words in prayer, since long discourses are often the occasions for wandering" Really, Bro. Lawrence. Well I guess those 4- 5 hours a day George Mueller spent in prayer didn't accomplish much now did it. IF you read towards the beginning of pg 88 you'll get the feeling ole Bro. Lawrence was trying to please God and win his friendship by the attitude of how he went about his tasks. That was his problem He believed in works + church + sacraments to get to heaven. Why do I as a born again evangelical give two beans about what some searching monk had to say about prayer when its highly likely the poor chap didn't even know about Jesus being able to free him from all his hard work. IT doesnt' matter what attitude you have when your doing your work if you've never trusted in the finished work of the cross. By the way it is my opinion that the Catholic church and those who practice their doctrine are being led astray. Mother Teresa was a hard working gal with good intentions but if she followed her the doctrine of her own church then it is highly likely she is in hell today right beside the Pope who just died. So I don't believe we need to practice these silly "breath prayers" in order to stay close to God.
It's obvious in your statement that you don't seem to catch the point Mr. Warren was trying to make on pages 88 and 89. Was he saying that we should NOT pray long prayers? No. He was trying to explain that when we pray long prayers our minds tend to wander and we lose our focus on the Lord. However, if we learn to pray simple prayers~~those we can say in one breath, we are "practicing the presence of God" (in his words).
Here's an example: I am forever trying to get my husband to exercise, especially since his father and grandfather have history of diabetes and stroke. I know my husband would rather have control of his weight now than be told later he has diabetes and HAS to lose weight. So, what does he do? He pulls out the treadmill/expensive-coat-hanger and does a 45 minute to 1 and half hour routine. By the time he's done, he's worn out, sweaty, smelly, breathless and feeling pretty good about himself. But then the next day, he feels that "yesterday was enough...I must rest today". The next day, same thing. Then he forgets the following day. Three months later, I'm back to begging him to get on the treadmill. I try to encourage him to ONLY use the treadmill 10 minutes the first few days and work his way up....15 minutes...20 minutes, etc but NOT to exert himself.
We are all like this with many daily practices if we are honest with ourselves. Goodness! If food tasted horrible and was a chore to accomplish a meal we'd all die of starvation! Why do you think the Lord made food and other things enjoyable? He knew we wouldn't do them and mankind would die out.
But, he expects us to maintain a fellowship with Him without His forcing or manipulating us to do so. The short prayers are exercises, if you may, that help us maintain a constant relationship with Him. After saying them for a while, the "breath prayers" become as normal to us as breathing. Yes, we still have to make sure we don't become so ritualistic that we daydream while praying.
I have respect for men of God who have calluses on their knees from praying for hours. But, honestly, when was the last time any of us knelt down and prayed for several hours? Before you answer that, keep in mind we can track the times of your postings.
I really never meant for you to answer that question. I just thought I'd drop a little humor into the mix. But, I can honestly say that I don't have callouses on my knees or anywhere else. I like this idea that Mr. Warren has in his book. As for the "monk" mentioned, he was giving the monk the credit for the idea, making certain that we didn't give the credit of this idea to him.
As for the monk having this idea, how many things in our lives do we use for the Lord's work that were invented by people who were not saved? Ford Motor Company, Edison and his lightbulb (yeah, I heard a Brittish guy invented it), the pencil, the pen, the copier, the computer (are you saved, Mr. Gates?), and on and on and on. God allows us to use things that originated from ideas of the unsaved (not that I'm saying these people are unsaved...I really don't know). Just because a monk came up with this idea, doesn't mean we as Christians can't use it, also.
Earlier you mentioned that "Paul was talking about being in an "attitude" of prayer in that passage." Exactly. On page 88 in the second full paragraph, it says (referring to "practicing the Presence of God", "The key to friendship with God, he said, is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do. What you normally do for yourself you begin doing for God, whether it is eating, bathing, working, relaxing, or taking out the trash."
If we are in a constant attitude of prayer (breath prayers, if you will), then how will our attitude be when someone cuts us off in traffic, or is rude toward us in the store or bank? If we are in a constant attitude of prayer, it will show toward others. The Lord will begin to shine through us. The entire book, from what I have read so far, seems to be that we are to get smaller and smaller as the Lord shines through us more and more. How can we witness to someone in their home if they recognize us as the "mean lady who called the manager on me at the store"?
