Phenomenology of Prayer

"Secondly we learn how prayer is the task of a lifetime, so that even those who have been praying all their lives may not have gotten much farther than kindergarten." (page 19). Even though I am still very young, this quote stuck out to me as very relatable. My Pastor back home is a man of prayer! He prays at least 3 or 4 hours a day, and before he was a pastor in this role, he used to pray even more than that, as he had more time on his hands. Moreover, he attributes all the fruit his church produces to the power of prayer, and can give endless stories to prove how this is the case. Spending time with him in prayer meetings is always a learning experience for me, but this is not the amazing part for me. The amazing part for me in learning from him is that he constantly talks about how much of a student of prayer he still is today. This is both encouraging and discouraging for me. Encouraging because it makes me more peaceful that my prayer life isn't where I want it to be today, and discouraging because I know how much potential there is still for me to learn. But this is not how it should be, we should admit our weaknesses to God and trust that by continually showing up, despite our weakness, that we will grow through his help. We must embrace that we are as student, and will continue to be a student.

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