In all the great religions of the world, all the faith traditions, all the denominations, there is one common practice: prayer. Through prayer, we all long to reach out and communicate with our Creator, Lord, God, Savior.
Apart from the eternal nature of our soul, prayer is perhaps God’s greatest gift to us. It is the special way for us to speak to God, listen to God and feel God’s presence.
Prayer has been wired into us; we pray instinctively in times of crisis, and we “thank God!” in times of joy. In most Christian traditions, we learn about prayer at an early age. From the moment we have the dexterity to clasp our little hands together, we begin to pray or at least mimic prayer. We watch our parents say grace over meals, we hear prayers at church, and we become familiar with the phrases and cadences of prayer, from “Dear God . . .” all the way to “. . . Amen.”
As we mature intellectually and emotionally, prayer takes on more serious tones. We learn it is not just a way to ask God for help or for things we want, but rather a spiritual practice with a wide range of purposes:
• Thanksgiving – thanking God for gifts to us.
• Confession – admitting our sins and failures.
• Praise – honoring and worshiping God for God’s love, mercy and greatness.
• Petition – asking God to attend to our needs.
• Intercession – asking God to attend to the needs of others.
• Guidance – asking God’s direction for problems we can’t solve ourselves.
As we grow and develop unique personalities, we begin to adopt certain styles of prayer. Some people pray reverently with heads bowed and eyes closed, while others look heavenward with outstretched hands. Some prefer the quiet of a church for deep concentration, while others find prayer comes easily in a crowded mall, noisy commuter train or busy office.
Although thousands of books have been written about prayer, there is no better source to consult than Jesus Christ himself. Who better than the one who was “one in being with the Father” to show us how to speak to the Father. In the Gospels, Jesus teaches when and where to pray:
• In private. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).
• With friends. “Jesus . . . took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28).
• In community. “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom” (Luke 4:16).
When the disciples said, “Teach us to pray,” Jesus gave them what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer”: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
As simple, straightforward and poetically memorable as that prayer is, and as much as we talk about the importance of prayer, we still often find ourselves flying through days without taking time to pray. We get busy with the activities and concerns of the week, and then we go to church on Sunday and only then do we think about prayer.
That misses the point of prayer. Prayer is not a church activity; it is intended for all times and all places. It is a spiritual practice that is portable and requires no special equipment or guides. All it requires is time, effort and faithfulness.
Because we get distracted, and because we often forget, prayer is something that should be practiced until we assimilate it into our lives and it becomes second nature, as God intended.
Some guidelines that may be helpful include:
• Find a place that is quiet and suitable for concentration.
• Try to pray at the same time every day; allow enough time.
• Go into prayer time with a calm, unrushed attitude.
• Read from the Bible or listen to inspirational music to help clear your mind of other thoughts.
• Start with a familiar phrase or reading if that is helpful, but then trust the Holy Spirit and your own voice to carry you into “unstaged” prayer.
• Be yourself; prayer is highly personal, and just as we all communicate differently, our prayers are unique.
• Be honest in what you say and think.
• As Christ did, thank God for blessings in addition to addressing your needs.
• Think beyond yourself to the needs of others.
• Leave some time for silence to reflect and to listen.
Committing yourself to a daily prayer time is a goal all people of faith should pursue, but prayer never should be limited to just that time.
The truth is that we are called to a life of prayer – to live as we pray and pray as we live. As the Apostle Paul said: “Pray without ceasing.” By doing so, we achieve our soul’s desire, to be in constant communion with God.