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Meeting
For Worship
prayer and other reflective practices
Prayer
outside of Meeting for Worship takes many forms. For some,
constant awareness of the Presence is the background to everything
else that happens. For others, prayer is a change from one’s
usual
focus to communicate with the Divine at a particular moment.
Prayer may be of a traditional type, such as intercession or praise
in the form of beloved words written by another. A prayer may be
vocalized, alone or in a group. It may be silent: formed of internal
words or deep and wordless. Prayer may include an embodied
discipline, like chant or a movement meditation.
Daily
prayer is a discipline that sustains the spirit and prepares for
the coming Meeting for Worship. The Meeting community is
greatly strengthened when its members regularly pray for it and for
one another.
There is no use trying to conceal how difficult it is to find time for private prayer in the congested schedules under which most modern people live. But at the bottom it is not a question of finding time…[but] of the depth of the sense of need and of the desire. Busy lovers find time to write letters to one another, often…long letters; although what really matters is not the length of the letter any more than it is the length of the prayer. In this life we find the time for what we believe to be important.
douglas steere, 1938
britain yearly meeting,
quaker faith & practice, 1995, §2.32
Study
of Judeo-Christian scriptures, Quaker materials, devotional literature,
and other inspiring works can deepen
understanding and enliven spiritul imagination. Individual
reflection, conversations with a spiritual friend, group discussions,
small gatherings for worship during the week, retreats, and pursuit
of opportunities for religious education enhance spiritual
development and readiness to be faithful instruments of God’s
will.
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