Pray the Jesus Prayer so that breath becomes Life centered in Him

God be merciful to me a sinner; Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. (Luke 18:13, 38; (see also Matthew 20:30).

Blind men, lepers and sinners cried out to God for the mercies of forgiveness and healing. They recognized Jesus as Messiah, the Anointed King, Son of David. Their faith revealed Him and received Him as the Son of God. Their simple prayer was of faith that “made them well.”

From earliest times the church has prayed the simple Jesus prayer, as easily as breathing in and out, in a short or longer form: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. Visit and heal my infirmities for your name’s sake.”

(The following is excerpted and edited from John Michael Talbot’s, The Ancient Path. He describes a way to “pray without ceasing.” I use a simple cross and beads to help me in the night, while driving, while sitting in a meeting, or watching a movie, etc. This practice helps me meditate on Him, intercede for others and overcome anxiety. If interested in beads or a cross ask me.)

The Desert Fathers had encouraged the use of aspirations, and Augustine had counseled a busy widow in his parish to imitate the Egyptian hermits in this way. Nor was devotion to the name of Jesus anything new. Saint Paul had long before told the Philippians: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (2:10). And the pages of the Acts of the Apostles are replete with the primitive Church’s devotion to the holy name (see, for example, 2:38, 3:6, 4:10, 8:12, 9:27, etc.). From the first generation, the Church had prescribed Jesus’s name for the expulsion of demons, the healing of ailments, and the correction of error.

A way to pray without ceasing in our busy lives

If our goal is to make Jesus the single focal point of life, and to make our prayer to him as constant as breath try this: 

Breathe in: Lord.

Breathe out: Jesus.

It’s not mechanical. It’s not magical. It’s love. People do heroic things for love. They give up drinking or drugs or gambling, but the way they overcome is by keeping their beloved in mind when faced with temptation. So they’re faced with a stark choice between the loved one or the vice. If our prayer is Jesus, we will have him always before us. We will have the habit of preferring nothing to him. And, like the apostles, we can do all things in him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) and in his holy name.

The Jesus prayer became a compact creed: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That simple formula includes elements of adoration, contrition, and supplication. It confesses Jesus’s divinity and our own sinfulness. It’s as hard as diamond, but it rises lightly as breath. It has sustained the inner life of ascetics and ordinary folk in the Eastern churches for well over a millennium…

300 knots of prayer

Eastern Christians sometimes pray the Jesus Prayer while they count the recitations on a string of beads or knots. Pastor Dennis Cole wears an elastic band of beads around his wrist to help him pray. I was showing my little string of beads to Bob Johnson, my spiritual director, and he agreed with how helpful it is, then he opened his desk and pulled out a string with 300 knots in it. It was a good reminder to me that I am a novice in prayer and not a spiritual giant.

How can we pray when there’s so much else we have to get done?

The Eastern Fathers offered a way to approach the problem. We can key our prayer to our every breath. The Eastern (Orthodox) Fathers tell us to invoke the name and person of Jesus with every breath we take. Think about it: breathing is the one thing we do without ceasing. If we’re living, we’re breathing. When we stop breathing, we’re dead.

I am learning to “ask for His grace to pray with His effect in me

I try to begin prayer times by asking God’s grace to help me pray and that my prayer have a good effect in me. I ask the grace to know Jesus, love Him and bring him glory to him in prayer and through the day. It is humbling to admit that I need supernatural and present assistance to praise, worship, pray and read the Scripture into my mind and heart. Paul wrote that prayer is a work of the Spirit (Rom 8:26-27). Prayer is not something we could do on our own. God is transcendent. He is wholly “other” from us. But he gives us his Spirit to pray within us, so we can say with Jesus, “Abba! Father!” (Rom 8:14; Gal 4:6).

In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for “breath” and “Spirit” is one and the same—in Hebrew, ruah; in Greek, pneuma. Prayer is possible because we have the breath of God. The Fathers tell us to unite every breath to God.

Preparing a room for God or for sin

John Michael Talbot learned that he could not keep parts of life “purely for himself, apart from God. If I did that, I was preparing a room for sin. If I could pray from the heart, if I could pray with every breath, I would leave myself no opportunity to build a reservation for self and sin. I would sooner stop breathing. I would sooner die.”

Personal and corporate new beginning

A good place to read at this time for us, is Ezra, where is recorded the story of the exiles returning to Jerusalem. Chapter 1 begins with the proclamation of Cyrus, king of Persia, and his praise to God and authorizing the return of the exiles with all the help and support they need. This included the restoration to them of that which had been stolen by previous King Nebuchadnezzar.

In chapter 3, verses one through six we have a description of their new beginning in dedication and worship. We can identify seven significant points in these verses, which have direct application to us. They first had to rebuild the foundation and alter to God, then renew sacrifices. Remember, it had been 70 years since their captivity so no sacrifices had been made to God during their captivity.

1. Peace: In verse one the people settled in their town according to their inheritance being restored.

2. Unity: The people then assembled "as one man" in Jerusalem.

3. Rebuilding: the people began together to build the altar of God.

4. Daily Covenant Obedience overcame their fears: their relationship with God was renewed in worship as they offered the morning and evening sacrifices of whole burnt offerings on it according to God's direction in the law.

5. Corporate worship: they also gathered together and celebrated the feast of Tabernacles as prescribed.

6. Special times of remembrance: they also presented the regular monthly sacrifices and participated in all the feast of the Lord.

7. Willing hearts brought offerings: the people brought free will offerings even though the temple had not begun to be rebuilt yet.

Generations United: Verses 7-13 describe how they supported those who were rebuilding and how they joined in praise and thanksgiving in song to the Lord: "he is good; his love to Israel endures forever." We read that the older members who had seen the former temple, wept aloud while the younger generation shouted for joy. We know that the new temple was smaller than the old which may have been one reason for the weeping. Or, it may be that they were overcome with emotion, for the restoration of the temple for them and the future generations. Obviously, the younger generation rejoice for their ownership and participation in this new beginning. 

Overcoming demonic resistance and personal sins: For further reading see the profit Haggai and read the rest of Ezra's writings about how the people united together, overcoming enemies and turning away from their own personal sins. 

Let us all seek personal applications: praying morning and evening, gathering for special times of worship, contributing from willing hearts, uniting the generations and forsaking sins.

Dwight 

On the “less than supreme” court’s feeling based “ruling” stripping the state’s rights to define marriage in their own legislatures by the elected representatives of the people in that state.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined by Scalia and Thomas writing their dissenting opinion:

“If you are among the many Americans - of whatever sexual orientation - who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today’s decision… But do not celebrate the Constitution - it had nothing to do with it.” (this is not based on our Constitution but only opinion).

Archbishop Coakley, Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Statement on Supreme Court Ruling for Same-Sex Marriage

“Today is a moment of historic consequence for our nation. The Supreme Court has made a tragic error. This decision will have devastating consequences, especially for children today and for generations to come. No matter the court’s ruling, it cannot change what marriage really is. Marriage by its nature remains the union of one man and one woman. Marriage is a natural institution that predates and precedes governments and government regulation.

Marriage is about far more than love shared between adults. Society needs an institution that connects children to their mothers and fathers, and marriage is the only institution that by its nature is able to accomplish this. Children have a basic right, wherever possible, to know and be loved by their mother and father together in a stable union.

The Church will steadfastly defend this right, and continue to affirm the sanctity of marriage as established by God, written into human nature, and recognized as such for millennia. Even as Roe v. Wade did not end the public debate over abortion, this decision will not end the debate over marriage. I encourage prayers for our nation, for families and children, and for those who disagree with us. Now more than ever we have to be vigilant in our defense of religious liberty due to the threats that are sure to ramp up as a result of this decision and its consequences in law and in public opinion.”

By Steve Humble

This should call us to a deeper awareness of the precarious state of the U. S. and its insubordination to King Jesus who is the Father’s appointed High King over every nation and every government.

As I began to write I found that God seemed to be calling me to "challenge the church to be the church”—the true “Community of the King”—in this time, more than he was calling me to berate the 5 “fools” (in the sense of Psalms 14 and 53, and also of Proverbs 12:15-16) on the Supreme Court who have ruled according to their own opinions and agendas rather than according to God’s justice or even according to “commonsense.” (As usual my thoughts were fairly “long” whether or not they were profound.)

Still this morning, I feel burdened that we consider carefully before the Lord what he wants of us in these days.

Excerpts from his article below:

Ever since the days when the English colonies were established in what is now the United States up to recent decades, it has often been difficult for American followers of Jesus to remember that we are, first and foremost, citizens of a holy nation, a kingdom whose origination is not of this world. It has been difficult to keep in mind that this nation, even to the degree that it was established “under God,” was of this world, and that it was not the earthly manifestation of that heavenly kingdom which began to come to earth with Messiah (the Christ, King) Jesus. Jesus’ kingdom grows and prevails through the spread of word of God, that is, the good news (the gospel) of the King and his kingdom. (1)

At an increasingly rapid pace, over the past several decades, the majority of Americans have been denying and rejecting the Judeo-Christian base which has been a significant part, arguably the most significant part, of the USA’s foundation. Some have rejected it outright, and have often times promoted it as a political agenda. Others have not rejected it verbally, but they have, knowingly or unknowingly, rejected that base in their core beliefs—the thoughts of their hearts which are manifested in their opinions and behavior (Mark 7:20-23). Today we are dealing with a generation or two in which most people have not even been shaped by that Judeo-Christian base…

We who have been called to be disciples of Jesus, to follow him wholeheartedly and fully in every part of our lives, have a genuine opportunity to live as “the Community of the King.” God has called us and has given us the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures in order that we can learn to “be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. [Where] You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life (Philippians 2:15-16 GNT). (4)

As disciples of Jesus, we should only in a secondary sense see ourselves as citizens of the USA. The reality is we are not of this world, although we are called to represent Jesus in this world. It is time to remember Jesus’ prayer and our commission…

We need to remember that God has determined the allotted time and the boundaries for each nation (Acts 17:26-27).

If God has planned for the USA to still be in existence when his heavenly city, the Wife of the Lamb, has been fully unveiled on earth, then the USA will be one of those nations who is healed and who walks in the light of God’s city along with whichever other nations God is preparing for that time.

In the meantime our primary job is not to “save America,” but it is to be the people of God who proclaim the good news in our way of life, in our attitude and culture, as well as to declare that good news in words…

However, Jesus, the apostles and the early church give us no model or hint that the kingdom will come through “militant” attitudes and “political” means. And whatever God might allow us to accomplish in the nations of this world will not be the establishment of his kingdom, even though it might be an outworking work of that kingdom. The good news of the kingdom (the gospel) is “the power of God unto salvation” for all men, and for all nations too.

See Romans 1 God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

“Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to its people” Proverbs

Psalm 2:2-5 “the rulers plot against the Lord… ‘Let us free ourselves from slavery to God.’ But The Lord scoff , rebukes them and terrifies them with his fierce fury.”

Lord have mercy on our souls. Lord have mercy on our nation. Lord have mercy on us all.

The Lord is Speaking to Us

We pray to hear and obey what the Spirit is saying to the church. Here are several prophetic words received this week in our congregation:

1. On Sunday Dwight gave a word that Holy Spirit was standing as it were beside us waiting for us and to receive his help and direction instead of us trying to do things on our own. He paid for the grace and freedom that comes when the Holy Spirit is Lord.

2. Karen Gale later shared that she had received a picture that morning of the Holy Spirit as if he were a person walking behind us, laying his hands on each of us, yet we were not even aware of him nor responsive to him.

3. This week Kendra received a verse from Deuteronomy 6 while praying about the sale of the building. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ESV)

4. At the same time Dwight had a picture of the "mixed multitude" exodus from Egypt. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. (‭Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭38‬ ESV)

Share dreams, words and impressions with Richard so we can pray for interpretations and applications.