I receive daily devotional emails from a project called "Inward/Outward" and sometimes they stop me in my tracks. The emails are usually quotes from spiritual souls and often I identify with the mysticism of the writers. Today's email quote is by Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Jewish Rabbi who escaped Poland just before the Nazi invasion and who later marched with Dr. King in Selma. Heschel writes often about the practice of prayer. Inward/Outward emailed this quote of his today:
Prayer: the Soul's Residence
Prayer is not a stratagem for occasional use, a refuge to resort to now and then. It is rather like an established residence for the innermost self. All things have a home: the bird has a nest, the fox has a hole, the bee has a hive. A soul without prayer is a soul without a home.
Source: The Wisdom of Heschel
How often do we use prayer as a "stratagem" when things go bad, as a refuge that we resort to when we are troubled or stressed or dealing with heavy things? Why do we tend to only turn to God when we need help, and not when things are good and we are at peace with our lives? I love how Heschel writes that prayer should be the residence for our soul. It makes me think of how Jesus says to abide in him, or of the psalmist who writes that we abide in the shelter of God's wings (Psalm 61). I hope that reflecting on this inspires you like it has me to return home to God as often as I return home to my family every day.
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The past few weeks I have been intentional about waking up early. I go on a walk by myself before the sun goes up. On my walk, I thank God for all my blessings. When I get home, I drink my coffee and write my prayers. It makes my entire day go smoother, and I find that the more I am intentional about being thankful the more thankful I am!
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