Step 7 of Agape Prayer Practice

The final step continues the extended prayer practice of Step 6. Even though I called them ‘steps,’ they are more in the form of expansions sensed while praying.

In that spiritual sense, Agape Prayer gives the feeling of following God’s agape as it spreads out to all of Creation.
STEP 7 is actually a series of expansions as ‘the circle of agape’ is understood to expand out and out to ever larger groups. So you might say that Step 7 involves 6 expansions: as you pray to ‘follow’ the flow of God’s agape, you imagine how agape spreads ...
1) to communities (beyond the expansion experienced in Step 6),
2) then to regions of a country,
3) then to nations,
4) then to continents. (When John 3:16 is studied backwards and forwards, the implication becomes the following: God’s agape is for the world [in Greek, “cosmos”], and Christ was sent to start spreading agape to all.)
5) then to non-human creatures,
6) finally to all of Creation. (You can begin this final expansion by choosing a place where you already feel especially close to the wonder of Creation, then practice feeling the flow of agape throughout that place.)

Obviously, that list is not meant to be in any order, because God’s agape goes where it will. And praying to ‘follow’ it is a long, drawn out development.

At first reading, these 6 expansions of Step 7 may sound like something that is completely different from Steps 2-5, but actually these expansions are what agape power is all about. During deep prayer you let the realization come to you that the spiritual power of agape flows through you as it flows through All of Creation. Each of us is merely part of Creation, but the important point is that you ARE part of Creation. Agape is how God draws you into connection with All of Creation.

So the 6 expansions of Step 7 are the way you pray yourself into your participation with the flow of agape, slowly and steadily, to bring you into All of Creation.