Sydney Grogan - Reading Reflection 5 - Entry 14

Phenomenology of Prayer, reflection from page 14


I have decided to dedicate each of my reflections on the Phenomenology of Prayer to singular pages rather than sections, as each message is so powerful that, in my opinion, each deserves its own reflection. 

On this particular page, the role of praise in prayer is discussed. A distinct differentiation is made between true praise & thanksgiving. Praise is thanking God for his pure goodness, merely for not smashing us like ants, even though he could at any moment if he wanted to. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is thanking God for the good things he has done for or given to us. True praise is thanking God for who He is, not for what he can do for us. This differentiation between praise & thanksgiving has already helped me in terms of praying more meaningful prayers.

In tandem with the idea of truly praising God, an interesting phrase comes up: "disinterested delight". Disinterested delight can be interpreted as giving your praise to God out of pure delight in doing so, not for the purpose of getting something out of it. It is hard for humans to do this in general, just because of human instinct. Praising someone else is recognizing them as better than yourself. Of course, though, it should be different when you are praising God, as He is obviously superior to everyone & everything. Thankfully though, God does not abuse his powers in any way, shape, or form. This is what we truly have to praise God for!

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