Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 0:21

Welcome back to Will you Walk With Me. Welcome back to Will you Walk With Me, season two, episode one. We are here today recording on a beautiful day in New Jersey, and it is good to be back. I know it's been a long time and I'm sorry about that, but scheduling and things happened that didn't allow us to record. But we are here now. That didn't allow us to record, but we are here now, and so you know, if you were following us last year, Courtney Smith-Taylor will be with us in the future, this year, regarding her work with Inner Child. So I look forward to that. But as we begin today, I'm hoping that you are having a good day and that the weeks have been kind to you. So let us gather and, before we enter into this time, let us center ourselves so we can be relaxed as possible and focus. So join me in taking a breath in and letting it out and one more time. And as you take that breath in, think about how you are loved by God. You are a child of God, made in God's own image, and the breath that you breathe is the breath of God own image. And the breath that you breathe is the breath of God. As you exhale, take a moment to give thanks. We're starting our season two, which is going to be a season of prayer.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 2:00

I would like to share a 10,000 foot view, an overview of prayer and the power of prayer in our lives, and begin with some of my own story. What's been going on in my life Over the past few months? I've been thinking a lot about my relationship with God and my prayer life. I find myself praying a lot for our country, for my congregation, for people in my life who are going through struggles, praying for my family, praying for me. But it's a little tougher in the winter. Winter is generally a time for me that I find myself being anxious and I experience what people refer to as the blues, the extended darkness, the gray days, the extreme cold, and if you're living on the East Coast, like I am, you know what I'm talking about. I can't remember such an extended time of powerful cold winds. Some people love it, like my son. God bless you, but it's not for me. So I've been praying God. Help me to see some beauty in this time of year. Help me not to be anxious about things. Please heal, restore, renew. I pray for things I want. I pray traditional prayers such as the Lord's Prayer. I pray, but somehow I knew something was missing. God is so good, so caring, wanting the best for me, but I realized that I have to learn a whole lot more about receiving. Part of receiving is listening. Part of receiving is taking time to meditate, reflect, discern, to truly be in a relationship with God.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 4:03

Prayer serves as a vital means of communication with God. Prayer is so much more than a religious obligation and, yes, that's the priest saying that. It's an intimate conversation with our Creator. It can strengthen our relationship, bring about change, provide comfort, especially when we feel like things are spinning out of control. Philippians 4, 6 through 7 encourages us do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Prayer invites us to surrender our worries to God and to take in, to receive his peace, into our open hearts.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 5:07

Now, the power of prayer lies in its ability to draw us closer to God, transforming our lives and the lives of those around us by embracing different forms of prayer, which we will be talking about in upcoming episodes. We practice persistence and we have the opportunity to incorporate practical steps into our daily routine, experiencing profound impact found from a prayer life, a dedicated prayer life, dedicated prayer life. In 1 John 5.14,. Jesus says and the confidence that we have before God is there when we ask anything according to his will, god hears us. God hears our prayers every time, whether we are praying out loud or praying silently. After all, he knows all about us and knows what is going on in us, good and not so good. God hears our prayers even when we can't put them into words. Times, for example, when our hearts are too burdened or confused to speak. In scripture, it says in romans 8 26 the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans, words that can we cannot express, and so when we are in a prayer, an active prayer life, we have the power to transform our lives in many ways. A few include spiritual growth, as it says in James 4.8,. Come near to God and he will come near to you. We receive guidance and wisdom, as it says in Proverbs 3.5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, we can receive peace and comfort, as it says in Psalm 46.1. God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in time of trouble.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 7:32

Prayer is, for the most part, an untapped resource, but it is clearly, clearly spoken about in Scripture. It's an unexplored place where treasure can be unearthed. Where treasure can be unearthed, it is talked about more than anything else and practiced to the fullest extent less than anything else, and yet for the believer, it remains one of the greatest gifts that God has given. The Apostle Paul was someone who understood prayer and its power. Prayer was a major part of Paul's life, he said. It's talking about the idea of dedication to this purpose. Of the 10 times it is used in the New Testament, four times, prayer has to do with being devoted to the process. It is very powerful and in this verse it is given as a command. In other words, persistence in prayer is what God calls us to. It's part of building the relationship.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 9:01

Two of the most instructive parables Jesus ever told on prayer come from Luke's gospel. In the church this year we are studying the gospel of Luke, so it makes sense to look at some of his references. We'll look at chapter 18 and chapter 11, and they both have to do with being persistent and not giving up, because it is so easy to give up when we don't know the words, when we don't feel God hears us. From Luke, chapter 18,. Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should pray always and never give up. He said, in a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about what people thought.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 9:49

There was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with a plea grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused, but finally said to himself even though I don't fear God or care what people think, because this widow keeps bothering me, I'll see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually come and attack me and listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth? That made me think. Here's God wanting to be sure that we receive justice and yet is not sure that humanity which means all of us will devote ourselves to him. Yes, we need God, and God can be there for us. But as for me, I'll make some time for God.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 10:56

Amongst all the lists and the emotions and the stuff of life that gets in the way, something just didn't sound right. In Luke, chapter 11, verse 9, we find the promise that says Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find Knock and it will be opened unto you. What I learned from this is that each of these verbs are in the present tense, active voice and could be translated keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Jesus does not want us to give up in prayer. He instructs us to be persistent. He assures those that earnestly seek will receive answers from a loving God.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 11:50

This passage reflects Jesus' teaching to the disciples about the nature of God's willingness to respond to their requests. If we are persistent, it stands to reason that we will also be passionate. In fact, paul says that we should be vigilant or watchful. It's the opposite of laziness, and there are so many times when we see Jesus praying, and he prays with passion. In Luke 3, verse 1, at his baptism, he was praying when the heavens opened. He was praying when the heavens opened. Passionate prayer opened the doors of heaven. In John 17, his priestly prayer, where he prays for all those in his life. It is a passionate prayer directed to the enhancement of the life of others. And in Matthew 26, verse 39, the Garden of Gethsemane, we learn that Jesus, with his own life at stake, prayed a passionate prayer, a plea to God. He poured out his heart to his father. And Jesus always prayed with passion because he knew who it was he was talking to and he knew that prayer to God is a powerful thing and not something to take lightly.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 13:24

James 5.16 says the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much, even in the midst of anxiety or sadness. We can remember things in our lives to be grateful for and pray in thanksgiving. To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything God has given us, and God has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of his love. Every moment of existence is grace, immense grace from God. Thomas Merton, a theologian and poet, among other things, said Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, it is never unresponsive, it is consistently awakening to new wonder to praise the goodness of God, and the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay, but experience. That is what makes all of the difference.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 14:36

So what, then, is an experience of prayer? By that, I mean, do we pray because we were taught to? Maybe, and that's not a bad thing. Do we pray because we think we should, or do we pray because we are looking for a transformative experience? Do we allow prayer and the response to prayer to minister to us, to minister to us? In 1 Thessalonians 5.8, we read that we should give thanks at all times for it's God's will for us in Christ Jesus. In Colossians 3.17, we read that, as believers, everything we say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as we give thanks to him.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 15:36

The Apostle Paul knew the profound impact of prayer. He asked the Colossian believers to join him in prayer, but not just any prayer. He wanted them to plead for open doors to share the gospel. The gospel was Paul's lifeblood, the reason for his suffering and his unwavering passion. He, like Jesus, was burdened for the salvation of others. Prayer can also open our eyes and enable us to see what God is doing, to see things that we are blinded to when we do not take the time to pray, to meditate and to reflect, and that's because prayer is a form of communication.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 16:23

If you look at what the Bible shows us about prayer, it will reveal that the very heart of prayer is about recognizing every moment in every day where we are completely dependent on God. Even Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords was dependent on God. Even Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, was dependent on God. Luke records more prayers of Jesus than any of the other Gospels, and if Jesus is our model and our mentor in prayer, we can learn from his example. In prayer, we can learn from his example At the beginning of Jesus's ministry, as I shared before. When he was baptized, he prayed Luke 3.21, and the response of the Holy Spirit that came in the form of a dove and the voice from heaven which said you are my son, whom I love, and with you you are my son, whom I love, and with you I am well pleased.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 17:26

In Luke 4, we see that Jesus' whole ministry begins with a battle involving prayer and fasting that took place literally face-to-face with Satan. And in Luke 5, everyone is coming to see Jesus to listen about the source of strength that he has, and Jesus often withdrew to places of solitude and prayed. And finally, one of the most well-known instances of Jesus' praying is when he went to Gethsemane the night before his arrest and crucifixion. So here's a question why was Jesus always praying? Or maybe a deeper question when we look at our life and we look at Jesus' ministry in the Gospels, we can ask what did he do on his own apart from prayer? The answer is absolutely nothing. There is not one thing that Jesus did on his own. And when we look at our own lives, how many times do we invite God to join us on the journey? He said the son can do nothing by himself. He can only do what he sees his father doing John 5, 19. By myself, I can do nothing, jesus says in John 5.30. If Jesus is God in the flesh and he says he can do nothing by himself, then who are you and I to think that there is anything in our Christian life that wouldn't be made better in prayer?

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 19:25

The disciples requested Jesus to teach them how to pray. Now they were well-versed in synagogue prayers, sabbath rituals, various religious observances, but they saw and witnessed something profoundly different in Jesus. Prayer wasn't merely a ritual. For him, it was a life-sustaining, passionate, persistent force. They recognized this unique dependence and pleaded Lord, teach us how to pray as you do. Even cats know how to pray. Where we're recording this morning, one of our cats came out and said hi there, I'm here to pray with you. And that's a whole other topic about animals and spirituality, which we will get to. So Jesus responds to the disciples' request to teach them how to pray by wanting themselves to be in relationship with God and knowing having that glimpse, but being ever so drawn to the fact that prayer could deepen a relationship and prayer in community even more powerful.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 20:43

One of the most powerful prayer experiences that I had was when my dad was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo major surgery. I prayed and prayed, but I still felt so alone. My husband was praying, my mom was praying, some friends were praying, but we were all praying in our separate ways. And then there was that silence that frightened me. I remembered that on a spiritual renewal weekend years earlier, I was given at the end of the weekend, a list of all the people who had been praying for us. Each person took an hour in prayer, 72 hours in all, and I was blown away by all of the names. Most I did not even know. It's called a prayer chain and I was going to make one for my dad. It's called a prayer chain and I was going to make one for my dad. So I spent the 10 days or so before the surgery calling just about everyone I knew, asking if they would pray for my dad in the 24 hours before, during and after the surgery. To my surprise, everyone said yes and, to my greater surprise, everyone was grateful to be asked. In the end there were 50 people and 10 churches across the United States who were praying for my dad. We were a community, a family, and each time I called someone I was praying with them in my asking for them to join.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 22:26

And on that day July 16th 1993, I felt such peace, love and support like I had never known before. My prayer was two parts prayer for successful surgery and prayer for the anxiety that I was undergoing. Well, as soon as that prayer chain was created never knew that that would be the response from God I felt safe and secure and, thanks be to God, the surgery was successful. My dad lived another two years and it was a wonderful time for us together. And that prayer family stayed together. When I showed my dad the list of people who prayed for him on that day, tears came to his eyes. He couldn't believe it. I needed to go back and remember this story. I needed to remember that reaching out to others is also reaching out to God. I needed to remember because the anxiety, the cold, the dark was leaning in hard. What I was feeling was a feeling of being lost. What I wanted was a transformative process drawing me closer to God, and to be reminded again of how much God loves me.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 24:00

In upcoming episodes, we will talk more about different types of prayer, because there are many types of prayer that can be used in different situations to help build that relationship. We'll talk about how to listen when we pray. We'll talk about how to reach out to others to ask for prayer and if we can pray for them. We'll have some guests on the show and we'll talk about their prayer lives and how experiences have shaped their journey with God. And so there's much to look forward to in this second season, and I just really thank God for each and every one of you who join us from all over this country and some people from around the world.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 24:49

And as we close this day, I would like to ask if I could pray for each of you. Gracious God, thank you for all the people that listen to this podcast. Thank you for the inspiration of topics to talk about. Thank you for the people that are thinking about joining in conversation about prayer. Thank you for teaching us. Thank you for reaching out to us to take your hand and to walk with you. Thank you for the love that you share with us. Help us to receive it. Help us to know that we are children of God, special made in your own image, and no matter what gunk we bring to the table at any point in our lives, you reach out with the nourishment that we need to be made healed and whole again. Thank you, god, praise you and bless you, and may each and every person listening, whether it's today, tomorrow or a year from now, be blessed by your love.

Rev. Dr. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell: 26:05

In Jesus' name, amen, I hope that you will join me in our next episode and future episodes, and I want to be sure that you know that if you are in need of any professional help which I treasure in my own journey and you might not know what to do, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 1-800-273-8255. And also the three digit 988 suicide88-SUICIDE-AND-CRISIS-LIFELINE number, which is designated to be an easy-to-remember quick number that connects people who are in any mental health crisis to a trained professional. And if you would like to reach out to us to ask us to pray with you or to share any comments, please email us at podcast at willyouwalkwithmecom. As always, I want to thank my producers, andrew and Catherine, and to all those of you who are listening. I pray that each of you see the hand of Jesus extended, ready to receive your prayers and join you on your journey.