Good morning…
“When we say to people, ‘I will pray for you,’ we make a very important commitment,” observes Henri Nouwen on page 86 of The Way of the Heart. “The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become a part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by him in the center of our being.”
“We are speaking here about a mystery for which words are inadequate,” Nouwen explains. “It is the mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into his own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe. Through prayer we can carry in our hearts all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness, and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God’s heart has become one with ours.”
The next time we say, “I will pray for you,” might we descend with our mind into our heart, leading others into the healing presence of God in the center of our being? Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer (1 Peter 4:7, MSG).
…Sue…
