Week of September 24, 2017…

Spiritual Care – 4 Practical Tips for Prayer

Prayer is a very personal and sacred communication between you and the Divine.  Whether it is to God, Alla, the Universe or Divine Source the act of praying is very intimate and should, therefore, be spoken from and heard with the heart.  A prayer should be sincere, regardless of its nature – a request, question, gratitude, or confirmation.

Below are 4 Practical suggestions on How to Pray

Pray Simply You might think you have to pray using passionate, persuasive words for the Divine to hear you, but in reality He listens even to even the shortest “SOS” prayers. 

Martin Luther said, “The fewer the words, the better the prayer.” We can talk to Divine  Source in everyday language, just like we talk to a friend. We don’t have to pray long, it can be in a simple word of praise, like “I love you.” Or it can be the sincere anguished prayer of a mother when she calls, “Heal my child.” Or it can be the simplest request: “Give me strength for today.”

Make Prayer Active and Multi-Sensory Prayer grows dull when you turn it into a purely mental exercise. Divine Source made you a creative being, so bring creativity to your prayer live. Lighting a fragrant candle can send a signal to your brain: “It’s time to pray.” It can also bring a sacred sense of awe to a few minutes of prayer. Listening to music can help you focus on what you desire to communicate.  Perhaps you enjoy doodling, drawing, or painting while praying.  That can inspire sincere prayer too.  As well, you don’t have to sit quietly to pray. Some of the best prayer times happen while on a walking trail.

There are other activities you can engage in with prayer too. One of them is keeping a prayer journal.  In the journal you can make requests and then stop to pray for each petition after writing it down. You can even write longer prayers like a letter. A prayer journal builds faith when you look back at the petitions and recall the Universe’s answers.

Make Prayer an Integral Part of the Day – Start and end your day with prayer. Lift up short prayers to Divine Source as often as you can throughout the day.  Pray over your schedule.  Ask God to help you with your to-do list. When you hear a disturbing news give it to God in prayer that the situation be resolved or healed.  Say a prayer for your spouse or child as you give him or her a hug.  Pray for the person you’re talking to.  Say a prayer of gratitude or thanks when you think of it – at a red light, when putting on your clothes, upon waking or standing in line at the grocery store.  Look for prayer moments that work for your life.

Pray Expectantly – All prayers are answered. In the Bible it states; “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

When you pray honestly as a request for something, you might sometimes wonder how many answers you missed because you didn’t really expect a response. Perhaps you were not focused on receiving an answer.  Perhaps you prayed not knowing what the answer would look like or how it would show up in your life.

Don’t become discouraged if you get distracted. Just get back on track. Pray and pay attention to the answers. And, when they come say another prayer, “Thank You”; to which the response is always an answer to the next prayer.  Prayers can be answered differently than you expect, sometimes.  But, the answer is always better than what you had in mind.