Reflection on The Prayer (2)
(Entire Prayer to be found at https://www.divinetruth.com/www/en/html/index.htm#prayer.htm)

...and I am thy child...

My reaction to these five words depends on the mood that I'm in. If I'm being my usual self, then I think," Mmm, that's nice. I am a child of God.  That makes me feel special, superior even, though there's no logic in that of course, as we are all on equal footing with God.

A bit of a digression: We are all on an equal footing?  Some of us, those who believe that there is a God, would firmly disagree. I personally, would like to think I'm better than most. However, only a little reflection shows the wrongness of that.  Either I was created 'better,' the idea of which shakes any view of a fair, just, loving God to its foundations, or I made myself better. But what about the starving millions? Any humanist would be quick to point out the arrogance in the assumption that people in the western world deserve their riches more than the people in the Third World who they are often plundering.

I have been told that to God, our worth is the same. It was quite a revelation to me to hear that. It is not based on what we know or who we know. This is how I mean, 'we are all on an equal footing.'  We all get to start from the same starting point. Nice.

What of me feeling special?  That depends on whether I'm feeling at all humble, or just arrogant.  If I look at the preceding words, "Father, you are all-holy, loving and merciful..." it puts "I am thy child" in its context. In physical terms, I am almost infinitesimally small compared to the universe, much less the creator of the universe, arrogance notwithstanding.

Another digression.  God did make humans to be more than just a physical form, more even than the other living organisms we are aware of; this I believe.  "I am thy child," (or we are thy children; it's the same) also suggests that, distinct from all other forms of life, I am able to have a relationship with God. I have a soul. God created me with a soul.

OK, back to where I said, 'depending on the mood I'm in.' In my superiority and arrogance I can glance at the words and carry on, impervious to the messages the world is giving me constantly that perhaps I could do with a bit of self-adjustment. However, as described above, it takes only a little thought to get to the point where I feel humbled, in awe, unable to really get my head around "I am thy child."

Somehow, this more humble place feels a lot better than the other.  Somehow it feels that in this place I am at a starting point of an interaction with God if I want to go any further. This is a softer place.

I heard he sang a good song,
I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him
And listen for a while...

...He sang as if he knew me

In all my dark despair

And then he looked right through me

....

And he just kept on singing

Singing clear and long

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMzzw6IXH1s for the full song as sung by Roberta Flack.

My reflection on The Prayer (1)

Here is the first of my reflections on The Prayer as I know it. The original is found at: 

https://www.divinetruth.com/www/en/pdf/Prayer/Prayer%20For%20Divine%20Love%20-%20English%20Modern%20Father.pdf

Father, Thou art all holy and loving and merciful…

“Father…”  The name Father, in The Prayer, is to me the same as God, or Mother. If God has created us in His image, He must be both masculine and feminine. I doubt that it matters much which I use. I like the part of the song ‘God is God’ by Steve Earle which says,

God of my little understanding don’t care which name I call

Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all

I receive the blessings

For now I prefer to stay with ‘Father,’ as it implies an intimacy that I want, and also, because I was more drawn to my earthly father than my mother, I find it easier, for now, to be open to the masculine part of God.  I hope that will change as time goes on.

I think of my mother, a devout Catholic, who was very drawn to Mother Mary and would pray mostly to her and Baby Jesus. An honest prayer will reach God no matter ‘which name I call,’ but since I am currently more comfortable in relating to one gender, I'm glad to know that God is still on the receiving end.

“ Thou art all holy and loving and merciful…” In his books, ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ and ‘Sons and Lovers,’ D H Lawrence has his characters, when speaking intimately to a loved one, use the words ‘thee, thou, thine.’  This is why I like to use the words ‘Thou art’ in the prayer. It feels more intimate.  If I felt it smacked of old-fashioned church-speak I would reject it for ‘You are…’ God wants an intimate relationship with me, this I feel sure of. Perhaps, for now, the best I can do in return is use words that help me feel the same way, and so I do.

“…all holy…”  I have pondered this word for some time.  What is ‘holy’ exactly? For now, I have decided that holy means ‘without sin,’ without any imperfection at all.  One could write pages on just this word, what it means and what it doesn’t mean, and perhaps I will sometime.

“,,,and loving…” I really have no idea what this word means!  My sense is that God’s love is different, softer, purer than human love, and that it is an emotion that doesn’t excuse or ignore my bad behaviour but, in persisting beyond the wrongness in me, helps me to see it better and want to do something about it. No pressure, just a goodness that gives me impetus to change.

“…and merciful…” God is full of mercy.  God is not a harsh judge as some Bible writers have portrayed Him, though I do believe that either on earth or after we die, all that is wrong in me does need to be addressed by me, acknowledged and appreciated for how I have affected myself and others.  God is also utterly fair.  But God’s mercy is, so I believe, seen in the way God allows me to make mistake after mistake, wilful or otherwise, and still does not ever reject me. I believe I feel God to be very near in those moments when I  feel very sorry for wrong I have done.

In the next post I would like to talk about the following phrase, “..and I am one of your children…”

Here’s the full text of Steve Earle’s song, written for Joan Baez to sing.

   

She sings it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8fFX5yn4Ks&spfreload=5 

Steve Earle sings it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5oV2bxxU9E

God is God

I believe in prophesy

Some folks see things not everybody can see

And once in a while they pass the secret on to you and me

And I believe in miracles

Something sacred burning in every bush and tree

We can all learn to sing the songs the angels sing

Yeah, I believe in God, and God ain’t me

I’ve travelled round the world

Stood on mighty mountains and gazed across the wilderness

Never seen a line in the sand or a diamond in the dust

And as our fate unfurls

Every bit that passes I’m sure about a little bit less

Even my money keeps telling me it’s God I need to trust

And I believe in God, and God ain’t us.

God of my little understanding don’t care which name I call

Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all

I receive the blessings

That every day on earth’s another chance to get it right

Let this little light of mine shine and rage against the night

Just another lesson

Maybe someone’s watching and wondering what I got

Maybe this is why I’m here on earth and maybe not

But I believe in God, and God is God.