The Prayer Thread is a collection of teachings and practical prompts to help as we learn to pray in community. This text was originally delivered on November 29, 2024 as a short teaching at our online weekly prayer sit.
Please note in the spirit of technological progress, Dianne Schlichting helped me to experiment with asking AI to compose a reflective writing on “Prayer as Progress,” as if it were me writing it. While not my typical preferred structure, I note that AI chose to order this reflective writing on progress numerically, so I opt here to keep the AI generated structure…this is the result. Thanks to Dianne and to AI!
Prayer as Progress: A Thread
1/ Progress in Prayer Begins with Presence.
God is always, already at work—creating, loving, sustaining. Even when we feel distant, prayer invites us to remember this truth. Our progress begins with showing up, trusting that God’s presence is constant.
2/ Prayer as Becoming.
Prayer is not about perfection; it’s about becoming. Each prayer shapes us, like streams carving pathways. Even when we feel inadequate, the Spirit carries us forward, inviting us deeper into God’s life.
3/ Desire is Enough.
Thomas Merton reminds us that the mere desire to pray is itself a form of prayer. Even in distraction, fatigue, or doubt, God honors our longing to connect. Prayer is progress, even when it feels incomplete.
4/ Ordinary Acts as Sacred Prayer.
Prayer flows from ordinary life—gratitude for small joys, pleas for help, awe at beauty, sorrow for mistakes. These are natural movements of the heart, and in them, we meet the Holy One who makes all things sacred.
5/ The Hidden River.
In seasons of dryness, when prayer feels stagnant, remember the underground river—God’s love that flows unseen, sustaining and renewing. Trust that progress often happens below the surface.
6/ Union in Community.
Our prayers, like streams, merge into the vast river of communion. As we pray, we are united with others—those near and far, seen and unseen. Prayer draws us closer to God and to each other.
7/ Keep Showing Up.
There will be days when prayer feels clumsy or absent altogether. Still, God is faithful. Each moment of turning toward God—no matter how imperfect—is a step in the journey.
8/ Prayer as Progress, Not Perfection.
Progress in prayer is not about mastery but relationship. As we live into prayer, we become more attuned to the Holy One, who is already present, shaping us, and drawing us forward.
May our prayers, no matter how small or imperfect, lead us into the ever-flowing stream of God’s love and into communion with the Holy One.
