Loving God 301, Part 1: Verbal Prayer and the Psalms

Prayer is not a duty. It is not the means of gaining favor with God or demonstrating devotion. Rather, prayer is the means of making genuine contact with the Father who loves us. And the ultimate fruit of prayer is...happiness.  (Note that the opening word of the Psalms is "Happy!") In this continuing look at the classical tradition of Christian spiritual formation we turn to the practice of prayer, particularly verbal prayer (i.e., prayer that uses words). This is where prayer starts - with wo...