“We” Prayers
I want to give you three techniques to help you live prayerfully wherever you are and whatever you’re busy with. First is using “we” prayers. Some of you have heard me speak about this before, I’ve used it occasionally in my daily devotions and other places.
The idea came from an old Methodist preacher named WE Sangster. He wrote a wonderful little book called The Secret of Radiant Life, in which he writes that the Christian says “it’s no longer I… it is Christ in me. Him and I together as one.” Sangster says this is much like how a bottle out in the middle of the ocean is in the ocean and has the ocean in it. That’s how close we are to be with Jesus – Him in us and us in Him.
Together With Jesus
And what this means, Sangster says, is that we begin to think in terms of “we” instead of just “I”. He writes: “Picture a normal day in the life of any person eager for this indwelt life… they wake in the morning and turn their first thought to Christ, instantly to Him. The whole desire of their nature is that He will come and share their lives. They face the day in His company and in company so close that all the thinking is “we”… He finds himself saying “we have the day before us Lord…” “we shall have to be especially watchful there”… “We must make the most of these opportunities”… He thinks double. With passing months it becomes natural for him to do so.”
I must say this was profound to me when I first read it. This gave me a great way to “pray without ceasing”. Because believe me, I am talking to myself in my head a lot. As I’m sure you do too! And turning that inner monologue into a dialogue with God – this has been a wonderful way to pray continually and keep my relationship with God alive and thriving.
Think about how you might turn your “I’s” into “we’s” as you think and figure things out and do what you do each day. Think about how all through your day, instead of saying let me give this a go, you’ll say Lord let us give this a go.
God is Not Distant
Watching Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye would look up into the clouds to speak to God, as if He was way off in the distance listening. It was a relationship, but being a Jewish man he never knew the reality of Christ in me.
But we live with this great sense of us doing life together, me and Jesus, as He dwells within me all through the day. And so looking back on your day, you will probably be saying “we had a great time today Lord!” and “we made it through those meetings Lord” and so on.
Of course, it’s not an equal partnership. God is far greater than you, and you will give all the glory to Him for all the good moments and enjoyments. Sangster recounts an old fable of an elephant and a mouse crossing a bridge at the same time. As they get to the end, the mouse turns to the elephant and squeaks “oh boy did WE make that bridge shake!!!”
He is greater, but He wants you to walk with Him and enjoy His power and presence.
You might also look back at your day and realise “well Lord, that was all me. That time when I did that … which I shouldn’t have… I left you out. I’m sorry. Next time it’ll be us both, not just me.”
I think God loves when you and I live we live and not just I lives.
So pray continually, by turning all your “I” thoughts into “we” thoughts… and walking close with your Saviour all through the day.
