The Seeing Prayer
I open Ann's book.
"You will want to see this."
I had just closed Juliet Benner's book Contemplative Vision, where I'd marked, "From its beginnings Christianity has been a religion of seeing."
Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD
Behold the beauty of the LORD
O taste and see
Ann's husband is the seeing-guide, pulling her away from dishes, carrot peels, prayers weary.
"He leads me the impossible distance of a whole two steps to the windowsill. I'm transfixed."
And within moments he releases Ann to the night, to the fields, to the moon. I think on this. To be the one who releases others into seeing. Is this not a holy thing? I think on this. Who in my life opens me to sight? I think on this. Do I believe that prayer is sometimes as simple as the lived-prayer of go-see and come-see and I-see?
As a child of El Roi (God-who-sees), I think on this.
Quotes from Chapter 6 of the beautiful book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Scriptures in order of appearance: Exodus 14:13, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 34:8.
"You will want to see this."
I had just closed Juliet Benner's book Contemplative Vision, where I'd marked, "From its beginnings Christianity has been a religion of seeing."
Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD
Behold the beauty of the LORD
O taste and see
Ann's husband is the seeing-guide, pulling her away from dishes, carrot peels, prayers weary.
"He leads me the impossible distance of a whole two steps to the windowsill. I'm transfixed."
And within moments he releases Ann to the night, to the fields, to the moon. I think on this. To be the one who releases others into seeing. Is this not a holy thing? I think on this. Who in my life opens me to sight? I think on this. Do I believe that prayer is sometimes as simple as the lived-prayer of go-see and come-see and I-see?
As a child of El Roi (God-who-sees), I think on this.
Quotes from Chapter 6 of the beautiful book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Scriptures in order of appearance: Exodus 14:13, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 34:8.
Labels: Ann Voskamp, art pilgrimage, Contemplative Vision, InterVarsity Press, Juliet Benner, One Thousand Gifts, seeing prayer, Zondervan
posted by L.L. Barkat at
10:42 AM
4 Comments:
I ordered Ann's book the other day, and am looking forward to reading it.
Lovely post today. The word verification is "found"; somehow that seems just right.
L.L., don't you know that you also release others to see by how you've mingled your stories with God's Truth?
I got my copy of Ann's book last week. There is so much between the covers. I am reading it slow, which is interesting because I read Seedlings in one nightlong gobble. Sometimes we just need different speeds whilst we see.
Blessings.
I loved this chapter...been looking for the moon since and asking for the laid bare deepest question...what do I want? what is my desire? and all that goes with the answering...
I have absolutely loved reading whatever you put up with each chapter. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this peek into Ann's book. Beautiful!!!!!!
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