Something has been troubling me about my praying of the news. It has to do with how/what to pray. I realize that my prayer has been about my assumptions that such and such is bad, or this or that thing needs to happen. Not that praying on that basis is "bad" but that I have failed to sit with the situations about which I'm praying, have failed to ask what God desires for this or that situation or circumstance. I need to do this.
Rose Mary Dougherty,SSND, in her book, Group Spiritual Direction: Community for Discernment, has suggested some points of consideration for intercessory prayer for individuals. I believe they can also be relevant to praying the news. She wrote that there are four questions that can help us focus on the desires of the Holy One for a person (situation) rather than simply our own. They are:
1) what is God's deepest desire for this person or situation?
2) what does God want my prayer to be?
3) is there anything in me that is getting in the way of my joining in prayer for this person or situation? and,
4) is there anything I am being called to say or do on God's behalf for this person or situation?
If I reflect on these questions when I feel moved to pray about something in the news, will my prayer change? Wait and see!
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