“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1
I recently learned that the phrase, pray always, is derived from the Greek word for rest—hesychia—and the phrase literally means, come to rest. (Henri Nouwen. The way of the heart. p. 69).
It seems evident, then, that Jesus’ command to pray always is more than just a daily spiritual task; it is an invitation into a place of continual repose for our souls.
I believe that besides God’s Son and the Holy Spirit, prayer—communion with God—is the greatest gift God has given us. The three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—go all together, hand-in-hand, and prayer is the means through which we enter Their presence and conversation. It is a place of peace, liberation, and ultimately, hesychia—rest.
That’s why the yoke Jesus invited us to embrace isn’t one that is heavy or ill-fitting. It is easy (Matthew 11:30). Not easy as in simplistic, but easy as in Good. His burden is light. The burden we carry under the yoke of Jesus will only lead to what is True and Holy—what is right and set apart. While the path itself may be difficult or uncertain at times, traveling this road called Life while yoked with Christ will ultimately yield Righteousness and Peace.
I’m learning that prayer is the welcome embrace of our spirit with God’s—co-laboring, co-creating, literally co-operating with the Designer of the whole universe. And through it all, instead of finding ourselves in a state of sheer exhaustion, we can experience what likely seems untenable to life under a yoke: hesychia.
Pray always. Come to rest.
~em
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