Following Christ in the Light

Give heed to the voice of my supplication, My King and my God, For to You will I pray, O Lord. In the morning You shall hear my voice; In the morning I will stand before You, And I will watch. — Psalm 5:3-4

The decision to follow Christ is filled with much joy and wonder. It is a decision that takes us on a journey through the rest of our life. This journey is filled with high points, low points and all areas in-between. The Bible and the Church provide us with plenty of wisdom and guidance in which to follow His path. Fear not, for the Lord is with you and gives you all you need. His light, given to you at Baptism, shines within you.

Our relationship with God is much like marriage. An example in the Bible is the parable of the virgins waiting for Jesus, the Bridegroom. In current day thought, it is often mentioned in relation to marriage that love is a choice. Our relationship with Christ is also a choice. A choice God gives to everyone and we, of our own free will, can choose to follow Him, or not.

Our decision to follow Christ is ongoing. One way to help our relationship with Christ grow is to think of Him when we wake. In Psalm 5, David speaks to God that, "For to You will I pray, O Lord. In the morning You shall hear my voice; In the morning I will stand before You." What a beautiful example to follow.

I have discovered that if I say the Jesus Prayer upon waking, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," this sets my thoughts on Him. It's as if I wake and say "Good morning" to Christ in the relationship He and I share. And if I follow it with the traditional liturgical morning prayers, this communication further helps me reconnect to God after a night of slumber.

There are many Orthodox prayer books, or the Orthodox Study Bible, that provide morning, evening, and other prayers. Much of my life was spent at churches where prayers are extemporaneous — informal, conversational prayers. I find the direction and the repetition of "set" liturgical prayers help me grow deeper in my walk with God. The more I recite them, the more they dwell in my mind. I surprise myself when I find I'm reciting them without the help of printed words! For me, this is very comforting. I also use extemporaneous, talking with God prayer in my day, too.

In this season of Lent as we prepare for Pascha — God's ultimate gift to us — it is a time for us to slow down and center our lives continuing in our decision to follow Him through repentance, almsgiving, and fasting. Our sinful nature makes it difficult to walk in complete sinlessness. Only One, Jesus, has lived on earth in a sinless state. The church provides the sacrament of Confession in which we may repent of our sins. It may seem unnecessary and one may wonder why not just go directly to God in personal prayer. Yes, one can do that, too. But as a person who has spent years in denominations without the sacrament of Confession, I can tell you there is something about Confession that is freeing. It's difficult to put into words. As in many things, one may have to experience it themself to realize the beauty of it.

I believe Confession and prayer help me in my relationship with Jesus. It helps me carry on and strive forward in the work required within me and the work I do in remembrance of Him. Hopefully, I am making steps toward working on my shortcomings, allowing more of Jesus' love to come through me as I work on my relationship with Him.

May God be gracious to us, and bless us; May He cause His face to shine upon us, That we may know His way on the earth. — Psalm 66(67):2-3b

May your Lenten experience bring you new insight and abundant love. Let your light shine!

In the Love of Christ, 

Paisia (Dana)

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Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.