Prayer
What is prayer and how do we do it?
Prayer is the bedrock of our Christian life but how do we go about it? As with so many things, we have a sort of clichéd view of what it is to pray. It’s something we all struggle with.
True prayer is a two-way conversation. We speak to God and God speaks to us. We don’t know how the ‘spirit makes communication’ – but that’s how God works. Through the silence of our hearts and minds, he guides us in our thoughts and prayers.
Prayer is asking that we might be changed, that we might find in our hearts more courage, more compassion, and more gratitude for the joys of an ordinary day. Prayer is a path towards change, towards transformation. Prayer might open new doors, heal old wounds, or follow a new calling.
Prayer Ideas
Prayer is not easy and there are several ways that our thoughts can be directed towards God in prayer. Just a few ideas are:
A simple way of structuring a prayer is to use Tea Spoon Prayers:
THANK YOU, SORRY and PLEASE.
Before we begin to pray it may be helpful to think about what we might want to say to God using these three words.
Another way is to light a candle, concentrate on the flame and allow our thoughts to become our prayers. When the candle is extinguished the smoke takes our prayers upwards.
Some people like prayer stones which are very personal and serve to remind us of something or somewhere: They shouldn’t be totally smooth as they need to have different textures. As we hold them in our hands these textures remind us of the smooth and happy times in our lives and the rough sides or indents when we are hurting or just need some extra support.
Websites and Apps
There are many websites and Apps that help us in our daily lives of prayer. Here are a few you could explore…
Pray As You Go
The Pray As You Go website explains that their website and App “is a daily prayer session, designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling to and from work, study, etc.
A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer.
Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection.
Our aim is to help you to:
- become more aware of God's presence in your life
- listen to and reflect on God's word
- grow in your relationship with God”
To explore the richness of this Website and App, please do follow the link https://pray-as-you-go.org/
Church of England Daily Prayer
The Church of England Daily Prayer is said all over the by world Christians in every Country. Whenever we pray our Daily Prayers, we are not only saying them with millions of people all over the world, but also with the communion of saints in heaven. This is wonderful as it reminds us that we are never alone, that we are always accompanied in and surrounded by prayer.
The official prayer app from the Church of England gives the complete liturgy and services for morning, evening and night time prayer. Why not download the app or explore the website and join millions of Christians in prayer
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-daily-prayer
“Let your gentleness be clear, for the Lord is near. Do not be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition, be thankful and present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:5-7