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Immanuel Baptist "On the Journey" Articles |
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July 25, 2004
Prayer: Visualizing the Kingdom Life On Sunday, I attempted to make a connection between an athlete’s process of visualization and the role of prayer in our lives of faith. Upon reflection, I don’t think I made the connection as well as I would have liked. This great anxiety accompanies every preacher into the pulpit. Quite often, it is only in the days following Sunday that we realize how poorly we communicated. Therefore, in this article, I want to attempt to partially redeem my failure on Sunday. Passion and a dedication characterize the lives of world-class athletes. They are passionate about their sport. This passion inspires them to make enormous personal sacrifices. Recognizing the cost of achieving their goals, they do not rely upon themselves, but they seek out the best coaches and trainers in the world. These athletes refuse to allow an injury or a poor performance to defeat them. World-class athletes know they must prepare both body and mind for competition. Olympic hopefuls engage in a discipline called visualization. They attempt to see in their minds their ultimate performance in their athletic event. For an example, a sprinter will envision in his mind every aspect of his race. He will see his body settled in the starting blocks. His body will respond to the sound of the starter’s gun. Through the process of visualization, he will know every swing of his arms, every stride he makes, and every breath he takes in the seconds it takes to reach the finish line. He will see himself breaking the tape and raising his arms in victory. Finally, he visualizes standing on the podium with the Olympic medal around his neck. Many coaches are convinced that an athlete’s performance is determined by what he or she can envision as their peak performance. Now, you ask, how does this relate to prayer? Well, Jesus calls his followers to make the kingdom of God their passion. This passion is to be the guiding force in our lives. It is by living for the kingdom that we discover abundant and joyful living. Jesus, through his teachings, instructs us how to live this kingdom life. Many of these teachings are hard for us to understand and to assimilate into our living. For example, in the world in which we live, it appears foolish to us to turn the other cheek, to go the second mile, or to love our enemies. Yet, Jesus calls us to obey these teachings. For this reason, we must meditate on these teachings of the kingdom and visualize ourselves living obediently to them. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to embrace fully certain teachings of our Lord. Let’s take a concrete example. Once a month we prepare a meal for the residents at River City Mission. Through this mission, we are attempting to be good neighbors in the spirit of the story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan. The story has many implications for us. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was notorious for the bandits who terrorized travelers. The man who was beaten and robbed was foolish for attempting to make this journey alone. Some people might say he deserved what he got. When we come to the mission meal, we sit at table with people who have made very different choices than the ones we believe we would have made. The destructiveness of their choices seem obvious to us, but some of them confess to making the same mistakes repeatedly. Since their troubles are chronic and often unending, it is tempting for believers to pass by on the other side forgetting these people we rarely see. Yet, if we are to be obedient followers of Jesus, we must envision them as our neighbors, respond to them as our neighbors, and be a neighbor to them. Regretfully, for most of us, this is not an automatic response. This example can get very complicated, as we try to be obedient to Jesus around the table. These individuals are not like us in the language they use, in the way they dress, or in the values they hold. Some of them have spent time in prison. Others are attempting to keep away the demons of alcohol and drugs. Still others suffer from some mental or personality disorder. Looking into the faces around the table, we are confronted with our greatest task—to see the face of Jesus in the faces of these men. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you fed me.” Jesus sits at that table. This example underscores the importance of prayer as visualization. If we do not prayerfully prepare for the mission meal, we will simply feed strangers. If we pray, visualizing ourselves as obedient followers of Jesus, we will see the mission meal as a gift of hospitality offered to Jesus himself. Through prayer, we are able to be as Christ to others. Let us begin each day visualizing the kingdom of God and praying that we might live the kingdom way bringing the kingdom into our midst. jamie |
Website last updated: Monday, December 20, 2004 Website Related Questions/Comments: Chris Cash-ccash@vci.net |
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Immanuel Baptist Church - 3465 Buckner Lane - Paducah, KY, 42001 - 270.443.5306 - www.immanuel-paducah.org |