Yancey: Yearning for Fluency (cont.)

"In the midst of a hectic, confusing period of his life, Henri Nouwen took a sabbatical from his professorship at Yale and spent seven months at a Trappist monastery in upstate New York. He asked a mentor there for advice on how to develop a deeper prayer life in the midst of his busyness. When he tried to pray, he said, his mind drifted to many things he had to do, most of which seemed more urgent and important than prayer. The mentor recommended that Nouwen set a prayer schedule that he would stick to at all costs. He suggested an hour in the morning before work and a half hour before going to bed, a schedule far more lenient than the monks' own.

Nouwen decided on a more realistic prayer regimen of half an hour each day. At first his thoughts ran wild, like untamed animals. He kept at it, telling himself, 'Since I am here for this half hour anyhow, I might just as well pray.' The sense of awkwardness gradually faded, and in time he felt his soul settling down to a more calming rhythm. It may seem that nothing happens when you pray, he observed. But when you stay with a routine, over time you realize that something indeed has happened."

It's sometimes encouraging to me when I hear that someone so spiritual like Henri Nouwen was also struggled with prayer. I don't mean to be negative and wish for someone else to fail. It's just comforting to know that I'm not the only one.

It's also encouraging to know what they did to deal with their struggles. Sometimes routine feels spiritually empty, but it also provides necessary structure.

Yancey advises, "I must find my own way to pray, not someone else's. And as life changes, my prayer practice will no doubt change with it. . . . The only fatal mistake is to stop praying and not begin again."