Day #2331

May 19, 2020

Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture is inspired by a statement written by Henri Nouwen: “There is a very deep hunger in many people for the life in the Spirit and many people need to be nurtured continuously by the Word of God.”

The scripture for today’s Thoughts is Acts 1:14: All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. (NRSV) 

So, you may be wondering, where do I see a common denominator between these two things? It seems to me that while the disciples were waiting between the time of the Ascension of Jesus (40 days following his resurrection) and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (50 days following his resurrection), they did what Nouwen mentioned - they were nurtured continuously by the Word of God, rooted in prayer. An understanding of prayer as a two-way conversation to feed the very deep hunger people have for a life of peace and hope and healing. Isn’t that, after all, what life in the Spirit is what we hope for - a peace that comes from trusting God?! 

So what does devoting ourselves to prayer look like? A friend described it this way - waking up in the morning and offering the day to God, starting a conversation that continues all day long, and then offering the night to God, trusting God for protection and peace in rest. And in the midst of all that, God leads, directs us and transforms us, often without us even realizing it. And thereby our deep hunger is fed.

Blessings. And prayers.