Part 1 of a 2-Part Summer Learning and Building a Strong Orthodox Prayer Life
(Part of our Crossroads 7th-12th Grade Curriculum)
Suggested Calendar: July 6-27
When we hear the voice of our favorite actor, our President, or a singer we often hear on the radio, do we know who it is even if we cannot see the person? Can we, with the same confidence, say that we are able to recognize God’s voice in our lives? That is what prayer is all about – building intimacy with God. It’s going beyond knowledge of God and instead being able to recognize Him in everything.
This summer, our focus will be on prayer. This first part, we will start with something challenging even for adults- recognizing that still, small voice - the voice of God above the noise; above the wind, fire, and earthquakes of life. Many of us live our whole lives never fully understanding or realizing the full power of prayer, in all its forms in the Orthodox Church. We believe the lie that we are alone in our pain, and fall in the trap of lukewarmness in our “ordinary.” This summer we hope to show our teens that prayer is anything BUT ordinary - we hope to show them the power of a still, small voice.
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12