Is there a place for “play” in prayer? I think so…

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Over the next few days, I’m going to continue exploring this idea of the importance of childlike curiosity in prayer and particularly our now, over the next couple of days, I want to stress, highlight, bring to our attention, consider, discuss, enjoy the importance of play. As I say, we’re just going to be picking up again on this idea of childlike curiosity and just want to point out that growing up does not mean that we should stop playing educationalist. Sir Peter Grey and I don’t know the man, so I can’t comment on anything outside of this quote that I found. But it really sums up some of the thoughts that are behind this idea of allowing the prayer closet to also be a playroom. He says perhaps play would be more respected if we called it something like selfmotivated practise of life skills, but that would remove the light heartedness from it and thereby reduce its effectiveness. So we are stuck with this paradox. We must accept play’s triviality and may I add, seeming triviality in order to realise its profundity. Now sometimes we have a tendency when I say we what I’m talking actually talking about, I guess the Royal we, the man in the mirror.

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Sometimes we can get a little big for our boots in the prayer closet and think that we have to approach the whole affair of prayer with this mock seriousness. And it doesn’t mean that there are not times for deep solemnity, deep seriousness. I mean, it is a work that we are involved in as much as play. Do not misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m simply swinging the spotlight round to highlight a particular facet of this wonderful diamond that we call prayer. So don’t misunderstand me. I’m not talking here about overtly, disrespectful or irreverent behaviour, although I do like let’s just parenthesize that with the statement. I think God’s idea of irreverence is sometimes very different to ours, but it’s really just a recognition that we are not quite the warriors of heaven that we sometimes make ourselves out to be. I mean, I think if we had a more realistic perspective up on ourselves, that in some ways we viewed ourselves less seriously in the right sense. As I say, we’re highlighting and emphasising and amplifying one aspect here. So this is not the entire picture. I realise that 100%. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we do take ourselves a little seriously.

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Sometimes we do over inflate our own importance and a sense of self importance. We want to diminish that and instead have the focus on God himself, on Jesus. And developing in prayer in reality is as much an act of imagination and creative exploration as it is learning techniques and principles and processes. In reality, discipline and delight coexist in the same closet. Some of the most profound times of learning, breakthrough and growth will come when we let go of self consciousness and embark on an emotionally wholehearted experiment with the Holy Ghost. I think we need to understand that the secret place of prayer can safely become a secret place of play. God, I believe, is a father who loves to play with his children and that the Holy Spirit is a joyful companion to walk with and to learn from, not some miserable schoolmaster waiting to whack you around the head if you get something wrong. In this regard, I encourage you to shake off the dust and start a little dancing. Lift up your voice and sing. Roll out the red carpet and invite the Holy Ghost to lift you spin you, change you, challenge you, delight and discipline you.

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Do not be fearful to be free. It’s for freedom that Christ has set you free. So let’s not be bound again with a yoke of bondage that tells us that we must follow an endless list of rules and regulations in order to please God and to operate effectively in the prayer closet. In prayer, you are invited into the fullness of relationship with God and fullness okay, does include a lot of fun, the wonder of private prayer as well. In all of this, there’s public prayer and there’s private prayer. There’s corporate prayer and there’s that individual come into the secret place, close your door prayer. I think that secret prayer, that private prayer is the foundation of everything else in our life. In God. It is the very root and ground of our call in Christ. It’s where the relationship is built and where we can most freely be ourselves and allow God to be himself in relation to us. In private Prayer and this is where I encourage you to be more experimental, more imaginative, more curious, more free, dare I say, more wild, maybe a little wacky sometimes because only God can Lee you.

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Only he is hearing you and he knows you inside out anyways. That religious face that you put on, that way of being, that very serious way of approaching everything, he’s not fooled by that. He knows that inside that Manly or womanly exterior is still a little kid crying to get out and have some fun and take some time with their parents, take some time with their friends and explore new avenues. I believe that we need to unleash that inner child, if you like, inside the prayer closet as much as we need to harness all of that Manly strength and that womanly strength in serious intercession, so it’s both and not either or. You may look awesome and be revered by other people, but here in the prayer closet, you are ultimately just a kid in his father’s embrace. I guess in some ways it’s very difficult to impress God if we’re trying to impress Him in our own natural ways with all of our, like, natural accolades. I think that God is more impressed by things that may be looked down upon by the world and by the natural man. He’s impressed by humility. He’s impressed by childlikeness.

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He’s impressed by simplicity of heart and sure there are absolutely times to be serious but not all the time. And just in closing, I’m going to continue this probably over the next few days with some concrete examples of some playful experiments and exploration you may want to do in prayer but let’s remember that we never begin any endeavour as an expert. We become skilled and accurate by practise and we often practise through play. I encourage you in your desire to upgrade your prayer life that you would add play exploration, curiosity childlike discovery to the mix. Put that right there in the recipe and dollop it in good amounts because through it you’re going to find yourself invited into experiences that you would otherwise never have enjoyed and never have explored.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on.

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I also would love to encourage you.

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To check out my new book faithful creative we’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can check that out @ faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first everything else follows.