This week in Lent, our church is exploring the practice of prayer. We Christians often set rules around prayer - what we can and can't say or do, what kind of attitude is appropriate - even the lack of rules can become a rule, and we can start to fear structure or routine in our prayers. But in truth, anytime we are being real with God, that is prayer.
For many of us (like me!), that means that we need lots of reminders to be real with God. After all, as much as I want to be real with God, and as much as I know that it's been good every time I've done it before, it's also scary. Because there are parts of me that are selfish, dishonest - there are parts of me that I don't want to expose. And on the other side, there are things that God might say to me that I really don't want to hear, because I like life easy. (This foolishness is truly an everyday part of my life. I need so much help praying that I "pray the hours," getting a reminder seven times a day to pray. All this in spite of what experience has told me - that prayer is one of the best joys of life.)
So here are some types of prayers to try - things to help you be real with God. If you try one and it doesn't help you be real with God, go to a different one. God comes to us in ways we don't expect - I've noticed that the methods of which I am most skeptical have often been the most meaningful.
Prayers to Try
Pray with music
– listen to music, sing, play an instrument, with God.
Pray with motion – on a walk or in other exercise, let the motion of your body invite you into a deeper place of connection with God. Dancing can be particularly fun and meaningful (and it's okay if you don't know how to dance).
Pray in nature – notice the particular sights, sounds, smells, and feels of nature as God’s expression.
Pray with poetry
– read or write poetry as a time of prayer. Mary Oliver is a great poet to check out; I especially like the poem Wild Geese, which you can find here.
Pray with humor – tell jokes with God, watch for God’s humor in your life.
Pray in silence – spend at least 5 minutes in silence, focusing on one word, and let yourself be loved by God. Check out centeringprayer.com.
Pray with your body – create body motions to the words of a familiar Bible verse or song. I like to use "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." Or, a good song is Sanctuary.
Pray with doodles
– write someone or something you’d like to pray for, then doodle around it; or
write a name for God, and doodle around it, spending the time in prayer. Check out prayingincolor.com.
Pray with a partner - one person shares what they'd like to pray for, and the other person prays for them; then switch.
Pray the hours - using a prayer book, pray specific prayers at specific times of day. Go here for more information and resources.
Pray with a
labyrinth – using a finger labyrinth or a walking labyrinth, spend time with
God. You can download a finger labyrinth to print here or find a local walking labyrinth here (make sure you call ahead before you go).
Pray in the style of Taize - on the first Sunday of each month, our church offers a Taize-style evening worship service of prayer, song, and silence. Go here for more information.
I often find that current Christian thinking puts down intentional structure, timing, or repeated words in prayers. Personally, I have found these to be very meaningful and helpful, stretching me and inviting me deeper into prayer. If they're not helpful for you, don't use them - but I do encourage you to try them first.
Blessings to you as you are real with God in prayer!
