The Stages of Prayer

Dear Pali Pres,

I’m so grateful for the class on prayer that was held at our church last Sunday after worship. Pastor Grace led us through the practice of Christian prayer, naming what it is (with plenty of biblical references), what it is not, and how we can best enliven our prayer life. We were also reminded of the wonderful ministry our church has through the PPPC Prayer Chain and Sunday Prayer Wall. Prayer is absolutely vital in the life of the believer, as Martin Luther once famously said: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

Often when I think of prayer, I think of the Spanish monastic, author and mystic, St. Teresa of Avila. Theresa lived in the mid-sixteenth century, however her works (including the classic The Way of Perfection) remain widely influential.

St. Theresa once described the stages of prayer in terms of bringing water into “the garden of the soul,” so that the garden might grow. These stages happen only with time and practice. The first stage is like pulling a bucket of water directly up out of a well by hand, with great effort; the second stage goes more easily, with God’s help, as if drawing the bucket up with the help of a pulley; the third stage is essentially effortless, as if God is irrigating the garden; and the fourth stage, the stage of ecstasy (as she called it), is akin to rain falling on the garden from above.

I offer this beautiful illustration to all of you as an encouragement to remain diligent in your prayers. Whatever those prayers may be regarding, continue to patiently offer them and trust in God’s help to strengthen your faith and help the garden of your soul grow.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt