Barth: the need to pray

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
    Ash Wednesday
    Feast of Chad, Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop of Lichfield, Missionary, 672
Meditation:
Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks :
    so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God :
    when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
    —Psalm 42:1-2 (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)
Quotation:
    It is not possible to say, “I shall pray” or “I shall not pray,” as if it were an act according to our own good pleasure. To be a Christian and to pray are one and the same thing; it is a matter that cannot be left to our caprice. It is a need, a kind of breathing necessary to life.
    ... Karl Barth (1886-1968), Prayer, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002, p. 15 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 42:1-2; Job 42:5-6; Matt. 26:39; Mark 1:35; Rom. 12:12
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me this day the humility to pray. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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