From Unceasing Thinking to Unceasing Prayer
Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, day-dream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is “unceasing”. Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears.
Our ability to think is our greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become victims of our unceasing thoughts?
No, we can convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with our God, who is the source of all love. Let’s break out of our isolation and realize that Someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies our minds.
—Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
Our minds rarely rest. Whether we’re planning, replaying, worrying, or daydreaming, our thoughts swirl from dawn to dusk—and even through the night. Henri Nouwen reminds us that this unceasing mental activity, while a gift, can also be a burden. Left unchecked, it breeds anxiety, guilt, and fear. But what if we didn’t have to silence our thoughts to find peace? What if, instead, we could invite God into them?
The good news is—we can. Prayer isn’t limited to quiet moments on bended knee; it can be the transformation of our constant inner monologue into an ongoing conversation with God. When we turn our wandering thoughts into whispered prayers, our isolation breaks. We discover that God is already present, ready to listen with love to all that weighs on us. Today, let your thoughts be the starting point for prayer. Talk with God as you think—and find that unceasing thought can become unceasing grace. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics