Hello,
And welcome to Praying with the Ancients.
My name is Seth David Clark,
And I'm so glad you're here with me to pray along with those from long ago.
Today we start with a reminder from John Chrysostom,
Who said,
Prayer is a refuge for those who are shaken,
An anchor for those tossed by waves,
A walking stick for the infirmed,
A treasure house for the poor,
A stronghold for the rich,
A destroyer of sicknesses,
A preserver of health.
Prayer keeps our virtues intact and quickly removes all evil.
May that be true in your life and in mine today as we pray along with Ephraim of Syria.
Before we get to the prayer,
Let us get to our own breath in order to slow down and allow some more space for God.
So I invite you to slow your breath for a few moments at your own pace.
And perhaps with a concentrated slowness of breath,
Or perhaps just letting your breath be somewhat more normal,
And always remembering that God is closer to you than your very breath,
Pray along with Ephraim of Syria.
Ephraim's prayer goes like this.
O Lord and Master of my life,
Grant not unto me a spirit of idleness,
Of discouragement,
Of lust for power,
And of vain speaking.
But bestow upon me thy dear servant,
The spirit of chastity,
Of meekness,
Of patience,
And of love.
Yea,
O Lord and King,
Grant that I may perceive my own transgressions and judge not my brother.
For blessed art thou unto ages of ages.
Amen.
I will read the prayer again,
And I invite you to allow a word or a phrase to grab your attention,
Knowing that it may be your heart,
Or it may in fact be the spirit of God working through the prayer on your heart.
Be attentive to what it might be that God is calling you to hear or to do.
So let us pray again.
O Lord and Master of my life,
Grant not unto me a spirit of idleness,
Of discouragement,
Of lust for power,
And of vain speaking.
But bestow upon me thy servant,
The spirit of chastity,
Of meekness,
Of patience,
And of love.
Yea,
O Lord and King,
Grant that I may perceive my own transgressions and judge not my brother.
For blessed art thou unto ages of ages.
Amen.
And before this time of prayer draws to a close,
Whatever it is that struck you most,
Whatever it is that reached out and grabbed you in this prayer,
Continue in your own words or in silence to pray over that concept,
That idea,
Or that urging.
Enter now into a time of communion with your God.
Amen.
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