Prayer forms the basis of our Christian walk. Yet, many do not know how to pray. For most, prayer is simply sitting in a church pew on Sunday morning listening to mechanical prayers or praying at mealtimes using some prayer learned by rote since childhood. As a result, our lives as Christians remain superficial and powerless. This is because we are not taught here about the secret Christians know elswhere about interior prayer.
THE CHALLENGE
Paul urges the Christians in Thessalonica to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:1). In his letter to Rome, he instructs: "be constant in prayer" (Rom. 12:12). Paul demands unceasing prayer in the lives of those under his care. He practices it: "We constantly thank God for you" (1 Thess. 2:13); "Always I remember you in my prayers" (2 Tim. 1:3); and, when Paul writes of prayer, two Greek words repeatedly appear: PANTOTE (always) and ADIALEPTOS (without interruption or unceasingly). Prayer is not something we can push aside until something more important comes along. Prayer is life in Christ. Prayer is as essential for spiritual life as eating and breathing are for physical life!
How does one pray all the time? Doesn’t sincere prayer demand solitude and quiet? Isn’t unceasing prayer impossible in one’s daily busy life?
There is no reason to think this way. Prayer does not have to mean choosing between time with God or time with family or time making a living. Rather, prayer should be a constant attitude. It is living, working, and playing in the presence of God. Paul Evdokimov remarks: "Our whole life, every act and gesture, even a smile must become a hymn of adoration, an offering, a prayer. We must become prayer-prayer incarnate." This is what Paul means when he writes to the Corinthians, "whatever you do, do it for the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31) For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). And, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17).
THE JESUS PRAYER
In Orthodox tradition, largely unknown in the West came the teachings and practice of the Jesus prayer. The Jesus prayer allows anyone to enter more deeply into the life of interior prayer. It helps and teaches one to come to grips with Paul's challenge of praying unceasing prayer. The Jesus prayer is sometimes called the prayer of the heart. It is a means of concentration, a focal point for developing interior prayer and creating a more full inner life.
The earliest form of the Jesus prayer is thought to be: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” There are longer and shorter versions. The one used today most frequently is: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Either form, in its simplicity and clarity, is rooted in Scripture and in the new life granted by the Holy Spirit. It is first and foremost a prayer of the Spirit, your spirit united with God’s Spirit, for this prayer addresses Jesus as Lord Jesus Christ, and Son of God; about which Paul says, "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3).
THE SCRIPTURAL ROOTS
Scripture gives the Jesus Prayer its concrete form and theological content. It is rooted in scripture in four ways:
In its brevity and simplicity, it fulfills Jesus' command "in praying" without heaping up “empty phrases as the heathen do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them” (Matt. 6:7-8).
It is rooted in the name of the Lord. In scripture, the power and glory of God are present in the name of Jesus alone. In the Old Testament, to deliberately and attentively invoke God's name is to place oneself in his presence. Jesus, whose name in Hebrew means “God saves” is the living word addressed to humanity. Jesus is the final name of God. In his name, demons are cast out (Luke 10:17); prayers are answered (John 14:13-14); and, the lame are healed (Acts 3:6-7). In addition, "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), and "Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth" (Phil. 2:9-10). Invoking the name of Jesus continuously is neither vain repetition nor empty worship. The name of Jesus is unbridled spiritual power.
The words of the Jesus Prayer are themselves based on scriptural texts: the cry of the blind man sitting at the side of the road near Jericho, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Luke 18:38); the ten lepers who "called to him, ‘Jesus, Master, take pity on us' " (Luke 17:13); and the cry for mercy of the publican, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:14).
It is a prayer in which one takes his first step on his spiritual journey. In it, we recognize our own sinfulness, our essential estrangement from God, and the people around us. The Jesus Prayer is a prayer in which we admit our desperate need of a Savior. For "if we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth" (1 John 1:8).
THE THREE LEVELS
Because prayer is a living reality, a deeply personal encounter with the living God, it is not to be confined to any given classification or rigid analysis. However, in order to offer some broad, general guidelines for those interested in using the Jesus Prayer, to develop their interior life, Theophan the Recluse, a 19th century Russian spiritual writer, distinguishes three levels in the saying of the Jesus prayer:
It begins as oral prayer or prayer of the lips, a simple recitation which Theophan defines as prayers' "verbal expression and shape." Although very important, this level of prayer is still external to us and thus only the first step, for "the essence or soul of prayer is within a man's mind and heart." For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, refrain your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies” (I Peter 3:10). “Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15).
As we enter more deeply into prayer, we reach a level at which we begin to pray without distraction. Theophan remarks that at this point, "the mind is focused upon the words" of the prayer, "speaking them as if they were our own."
The third and final level is prayer of the heart. At this stage prayer is no longer something we do but the essence of who we are. Such prayer, which is a gift of the Spirit, is to return to the Father as did the prodigal son (Luke 15:32). The prayer of the heart is the prayer of adoption, when "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit that cries 'Abba, Father!'" (Gal. 4:6).
FRUIT OF THE JESUS PRAYER
This return to the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit is the goal of all Christian spirituality. It ignites the kingdom of God within. The anonymous author of The Way of the Pilgrim reports that the Jesus Prayer had two concrete effects upon his vision of the world:
First, it transfigures his relationship with the material creation around him; the world becomes transparent, a sign, a means of communicating God's presence. He writes: "When I prayed in my heart, everything around me seemed delightful and marvelous. The trees, the grass, the birds, the air, the light seemed to be telling me that they existed for man's sake, that they witnessed to the love of God for man, that all things prayed to God and sang his praise."
Second, the Prayer transfigures his relationship to his fellow human beings. His relationships are given form within their proper context: the forgiveness and compassion of the crucified and risen Lord: "Again I started off on my wanderings. But now I did not walk along as before, filled with care. The invocation of the name of Jesus gladdened my way. Everybody was kind to me. If anyone harms me I have only to think, 'How sweet is the Prayer of Jesus!' and the injury and the anger alike pass away and I forget it all."
ENDLESS GROWTH
"Growth in prayer has no end," Theophan informs us. "If this growth ceases, it means that life ceases." The way of the heart is endless because the God whom we seek is infinite in the depths of his glory. The Jesus Prayer is a signpost along the spiritual journey, a journey that all must take.
SALVATION
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Yet, man is incapable of producing even a mustard seed size of faith. Faith is a spiritual gift. We must ask God for it. Likewise, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Yet, a few passages later he proclaims, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15). James says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” We must stay connected to Christ constantly so he will put good fruit into our lives and enable us to live powerfully in his constant presence.
The Jesus prayer affirms both faith and repentance. When repeated, the prayer moves from our mouth and tongue to our mind to offer continuous prayer of the heart. It inclines our heart toward good and God. Before the flood, man’s heart was inclined toward only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). With the Jesus Prayer, actual change takes place in the thoughts of our heart. We are then capable of continuous holy lives before God and others. QUANTITY of prayer, at first, moves to eventual QUALITY of prayer. Initially, God expects quantity of prayer. Faith, wisdom, and power to live the holy life becomes available through prayer. “Ask, and you shall receive” Jesus said. Also, he stated, “Ask anything in my name and it shall be given to you.” Likewise he said, “men ought everywhere to pray and not faint.”
CONCLUSION
Saint Theophan the Recluse, concerning the Jesus prayer, says it becomes: "a murmuring stream within our souls." The Jesus prayer produces good fruit and demonstrates clearly how continuous prayer is able to overcome sinful passions within the heart and awaken the kingdom of God within each of us, leading us to continuous union with Christ.
In an age where spiritual hedonism and the illicit promise of self-gain (T.D. Jakes, Prayer of Jabez) pervades most Christian devotional works, it is good to discover a path that leads to true Christian perfection: "Prayer is essentially a state of standing before God. The principal thing is to stand with the mind in the heart before God, and to go on standing before Him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life.” (Teaophan)
"The body is made of earth, yet it is not something dead but alive and endowed with a living soul. Into this soul is berthed a spirit -the spirit of God, to reverence Him, to seek and taste Him, and to have its joy in Him and nothing else." (Theopan)
"The heart governs and reigns over the whole body organism; and, when grace possesses the ranges of the heart, it rules over all the members and the thoughts. For there, in the heart, is the mind and all the thoughts of the soul and its expectations; and in this way grace penetrates also all the members of the body..." (The Homilies of St. Makarios)
Why not start today. Merely pray “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”. Pray it 3,000 times today. Increase it by 1,000 each day until your mouth and tongue say it unceasingly. Get ready to be blessed. You will find Satan will attempt to distract you from this prayer. Keep saying it. You will find your thoughts running here and there but resist and keep saying it. You will find peace and joy returning to your heart. Keep saying it. You begin to feel light on your feet. Keep praying the Jesus prayer. You discover the world changing around you. It fills with love. Despite what life hands you, the Jesus prayer will carry you through. Keep praying the prayer. Then, one day, your heart will begin saying the Jesus prayer without prompting. The kingdom of God will spring forth and light will fill your whole body. You will be flooded with joy and the well-spring of life will burst forth within just as Jesus promised to the woman at the well (John 4) and the crowds in the street (John 7:37-39).
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