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| Cedar, on Michigan State University's campus |
Howard Thurman believed that the time of day most desired by Jesus was at its end, at night. "This was the time for the long breath," Thurman writes, "when all the fragments left by the commonplace, all the little hurts and big aches, came to rest; when the mind could be freed of the immediate demand, and voices that had been stilled by the long day's work could once more be heard; when there could be the deep sharing of innermost secrets and the laying bare of heart and mind - yes, the time most precious for him was at close of day." (40-Day Journey With Howard Thurman, 44)
This is prayer as unburdening and detoxifying. As burdens and toxins are borne and purged one's eyes behold the Lord for His sake alone.
This is prayer as purifying. Here is where impurities are burned and the heart is refined. This is prayer as effective and powerful because the pray-er is righteous in God's sight.
This is prayer as the slow cooker of simmering relationship, where oneness in the spirit with the Spirit is experienced. This is the place of discernment.
As the day draws to a close today, pray.
