My article is an adaptation of a devotional produced by ‘Lectio 365’, a free daily devotional mobile app I’ve been using. This excellent tool guides users through 10 minutes of prayer in the morning, afternoon and evening, using the P.R.A.Y framework (Pause to be still; Rejoice and Reflect; Ask for God’s help; Yield to His will).
In praying through the great prayers of the Bible, this week we explored the ‘invitation to pray humanly and honestly, recognizing that every experience is an entry point into prayer’. Sometimes this done through the lives of historical faith heroes to illustrate how biblical prayers look when lived out in the real world. On Wednesday, the example was the late Mother Teresa of Kolkata, a tireless champion of justice, compassion and hospitality to ‘those … who have become a burden to society and are shunned by everybody’ (Mother Teresa). I encourage you to follow along:
Pause
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered sense upon the presence of God … God of rescue and restoration, thank you for your great and beautiful mission in the world. Here I am, Lord, fill me with your Spirit and send me.
Rejoice and Reflect
I choose to rejoice in God’s compassion towards the oppressed … joining with the ancient praise of all God’s people in the words of Psalm 12… The LORD (says), ‘I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do’ … Therefore, LORD, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever … (Psalm 12:5 & 7 – NLT)
Born to Albanian parents, Mother Teresa became a nun at 18. She then moved to India, teaching at a school for 17 years as a missionary. In 1946 she received what she described as a ‘call within a call’ to leave the comfort of her convent school to selflessly serve Kolkata’s poorest of the poor – the city’s most forgotten and marginalized people. This mission culminated in her founding the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ in 1950, a religious order dedicated to restoring dignity, offering unconditional love and practical care to them.
Ask
Lord, may I – like your friend Teresa – have an open ear to hear your call, and the courage to follow wherever you may send me. Lead me today to those who are poor, whether in spirit or in material ways, and in loving them, may I know the joy of loving you. I pray now for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity through 610 foundations in 123 countries…
Yield
Mother Teresa was by no means perfect. She could seem harsh and driven. Despite appearing cheerful and deeply committed to God in her work, she spent nearly 50 years battling intense self-doubt. For example in 1958, she wrote in her diary, ‘My smile is a great cloak that hides a multitude of pains … (People) think that my faith, my hope and my love are overflowing, and that my intimacy with God and union with his will fills my heart. If only they knew’.
There is often a gap between our public and private personas. Know that God invites us to come to Him as we are.
Lord, I yield myself to your purpose and your path. May I live and walk in faithfulness to your call, in season and out of season, when it feels good and especially when it feels hard (read Psalm 27:9-11a). Help me to live this day to the full, being true to you in every way. Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet. Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say. Amen!
A fellow fisher of people.
Mark
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