23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
We do not have to pray to someone else in order for our prayers to be heard and accepted! That is good news for us, as we consider His availability to His people - to hear and answer according to His will. We recognize that God is concerned with every single detail of our lives, every concern of our hearts, and He desires for us to bring those petitions to Him and to communicate with Him on a regular basis. We pray in Jesus' name, and we can experience the fullness of joy in His presence.
Before He gave His disciples what has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus talked about the attitude of and position in prayer:
5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
It's a diagram that apparently was crafted over 1000 years ago. It's part of a book that was placed on sale by Manhattan’s Les Enluminures Gallery, a dealer in medieval manuscripts, a book that was written on vellum with a rather unique first page, according to a report on the Religion News Service website, which likens the circular diagram to a game board.
The RNS report surmises that over a hundred years after the book, containing only the gospels, was commissioned by an abbess in Liesborn, Germany, someone opened the Gospels, which would have been used primarily for display and oath-taking, to its blank first page, set a compass needle in the center and began drawing concentric circles.
The report calls this the "Liesborn Prayer Wheel" and describes the content. The outer circle contains the words, "The Order Of The Diagram Written Here Teaches The Return Home.” The next is labeled “Seven Petitions” and contains seven quotations from the Lord’s Prayer (“Daily Bread,” “Will Be Done,” “Kingdom Come.”) In the third circle, seven “Gifts Of The Holy Spirit” (“Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel … ”) run clockwise in red, interspersed with seven events in Christ’s life (Incarnation, Baptism, Passion Day of Judgment) in black. The fourth segment contains seven groups blessed in Jesus’ Beatitudes (“Meek, Poor in Spirit, Mourn”) and — opposite each — their rewards (“Inherit the Earth,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Be Comforted”). Finally, at the center, surrounding the pinhole of the compass, is the word “DEUS,” or God.
Lauren Mancia, a medievalist at Brooklyn College who has examined the Liesborn Wheel, is quoted as saying that schematic prayer guides were more common in later centuries, but said that the diagram suggests that monks and nuns were "using a mnemonic device to remember and internalize, or even to make an inner journey."
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5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
It's a diagram that apparently was crafted over 1000 years ago. It's part of a book that was placed on sale by Manhattan’s Les Enluminures Gallery, a dealer in medieval manuscripts, a book that was written on vellum with a rather unique first page, according to a report on the Religion News Service website, which likens the circular diagram to a game board.
The RNS report surmises that over a hundred years after the book, containing only the gospels, was commissioned by an abbess in Liesborn, Germany, someone opened the Gospels, which would have been used primarily for display and oath-taking, to its blank first page, set a compass needle in the center and began drawing concentric circles.
The report calls this the "Liesborn Prayer Wheel" and describes the content. The outer circle contains the words, "The Order Of The Diagram Written Here Teaches The Return Home.” The next is labeled “Seven Petitions” and contains seven quotations from the Lord’s Prayer (“Daily Bread,” “Will Be Done,” “Kingdom Come.”) In the third circle, seven “Gifts Of The Holy Spirit” (“Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel … ”) run clockwise in red, interspersed with seven events in Christ’s life (Incarnation, Baptism, Passion Day of Judgment) in black. The fourth segment contains seven groups blessed in Jesus’ Beatitudes (“Meek, Poor in Spirit, Mourn”) and — opposite each — their rewards (“Inherit the Earth,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Be Comforted”). Finally, at the center, surrounding the pinhole of the compass, is the word “DEUS,” or God.
Lauren Mancia, a medievalist at Brooklyn College who has examined the Liesborn Wheel, is quoted as saying that schematic prayer guides were more common in later centuries, but said that the diagram suggests that monks and nuns were "using a mnemonic device to remember and internalize, or even to make an inner journey."
The Religion News Service piece asked some pertinent questions, such as: Clearly the nun was supposed to find her way from the Lord’s Prayer to God; but how? Did she read her way around one wheel and move in to the next? Or did she drill downward along each of the wheel’s “spokes,” and then start again on the next spoke? Or were the seven events in Christ’s life the key to the diagram, connecting its prayers to the Gospels that make up the rest of the book?
On this eve of the National Day of Prayer, this diagram, which is part of a book with a reported $6.5 million pricetag, can inspire us to think about the work of prayer, which has inestimable value for us. Here are three takeaways from this story:
This wheel points to a system of prayer and approach to God. There are all sorts of ways that we can keep focused on our relationship with Christ, and having a disciplined action plan can enhance our experience and fellowship with Him. It may involve a number of components, such as a specific, intentional time, commonly called a "quiet time," when we in essence meet with God and engage in spiritual activity. It could involve a prayer journal or a prayer guide to help us keep track of what we are to pray for. Or, your system could involve some sort of Bible reading guide to lead you on your spiritual quest. You might even memorize Scripture through a device such as the Topical Memory System.
There is certainly no "one size fits all" for our encounter with God, but we recognize that consistent fellowship with our Savior and engagement with His Word leads to spiritual growth.
The Lord wants to lead us by His Holy Spirit into a more vibrant, rewarding walk with Himself, and provides the tools and direction in order to do that.
Finally, change in our lives is not haphazard - I believe it results from dedication and the developing effective means to connect with God. If we want to change, if we want to grow closer to Christ and more like Him, it's important that we yield to Him and allow Him to do His work - our time spent with Him can help us in aligning our hearts and our lives with His truth.
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