But so often, we simply can't resist. That God might squeeze into some small chink in our fortress, then take root like a weed and slowly push aside the stones in our wall until they are no longer needed and fall, unnoticed and unmissed, to the ground beneath, is an idea far too tempting. If God created the entire world, including ourselves and everything else in it, surely it wouldn't be so hard for Him to make a small change, so that we could be more like Him. Is that asking too much? Maybe, maybe not, but He still won't do it. Asking God to go slow, to be gentle, to remodel our hearts without disturbing business as usual, misses the point entirely. Never mind the contradiction in our request, to be changed without being willing to change. Never mind that the time it would take to change our hearts slowly exceeds the span of human existence, and by a wide margin. Never mind that all change is hard, so the easy way is an illusion. Never mind that magical change, presto-chango, would actually be easier for God than repeatedly picking us up and forgiving us when we fail. Even without these practical issues, God just won't do it.
Don't be misled. Not for an instant can we do this on our own. Even the desire to be more like Him was put there by God. Every thought we think, every plan we hatch, every brilliant idea we concoct, traces back to His good work. So it isn't that God won't make us more like him, He will and He does, all the time. What He absolutely will not do, is to bring about these changes by our rules. God does not take guidance from His children. He does not check our calendars first to make sure it will be convenient. Rather, God works miracles through the people and situations that are in place and are fit for His purposes.
So if God's miracles will happen anyway, why, then, do we need Formation Prayer? Well, it certainly is not for God's benefit. No, having put aside our own will through the Prayer of Relinquishment, Formation Prayer is what we use to ensure we are open and aware of the still, small voice within and without. It keeps our ears perked and our eyes focused so that we are alert to God's movement through us and around us and so fit into His plan without running amok through the china shop. This takes much practice, for there is a delicate balance that must be maintained. On the one hand we are looking for God, actively seeking, searching with all our might. But on the other, we are waiting for Him to call us, to assign us a role to play, to cue our symphonic participation. It is like trying to listen for a pin to drop while out of breath. We strain to hear the tiniest sound while trying to block out our heavy panting.
Foster points to several classic methods that can focus prayer life on growing more Christlike. These include The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, the 12 steps found in The Rule of St. Benedict, the Little Way of Therese of Lisieux, and what Evelyn Underhill calls 'the prayer of docility'. Regardless of whether one of these or some other approach is used, Formation Prayer moves beyond the concerns of the self and the need to control, and focuses on internal and external spiritual comings and goings. As these swirl about us, we cannot help but see that our presence unavoidably distorts them, and yet from them we deduce the flow of God's plan and we learn how to join in. In this way, we become aware of and ready to participate in God's next miracle.
May God form you like a potter forms clay and may new growth take hold in your life.
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