Citizen Columns
Question
When
we pray, how can we know it is God answering us, and not our own emotions or
ego?
Answer
Discerning true from false is at the core of the prayer life, since we
easily fall prey to delusion. This is why personal prayer in the Orthodox
Church is always seen as part of a larger spiritual life that includes the
life of the faith community, rooted in the teachings of the Scriptures, in
worship shaped by centuries of faithful praying, and in tested experience
with prayer and its pitfalls.
The biggest temptation in prayer is our own narcissism. Church life
confronts this by taking us outside ourselves and lets us hear the voice of
God that the community as a whole has heard for thousands of years in the
Scriptures, in worship and in the lives of the saints. The Psalms
especially help shape our own prayer and give us a model for boldness as
well as delight in God's commandments (see Psalm 119). You also need to test
the answer you receive in prayer with another human being, someone you
trust, who also seeks to live the Christian life. In the Orthodox tradition
this is most often one's priest or spiritual father.
God does speak to everyone who listens, but alarm bells should go off if we
hear him telling us to do something opposed to the teaching he has already
revealed. On more than one occasion I've had people tell me that they felt
God was calling them to leave their husband or wife and take up with someone
else. They may sincerely have "felt" this, but it was easy to label this as
delusion because it goes against all that God has revealed against adultery.
Unfortunately, the flip side of these cautions is that people sometimes lose
all trust in hearing the voice of God. God does listen today, God does speak
today and we should be listening for His voice. This takes practice, but
nothing makes for a richer spiritual life.
With love in Christ,
Father John Jillions
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