Thinking About Prayer

Thinking About Prayer--


In my book study group this morning we talked about prayer.  It was a lively discussion as everyone had thoughts about what prayer is and how to do it.   Is it an activity that requires a special place?  Can it happen anywhere?  Do we need special objects to put us in the mind set for prayer?

Listening to others share their experiences with prayer is helpful. But it is secondary.  For prayer to mean something, it must be primary.  All the books and lectures, the tapes and videos are only a substitute for the real thing.  Each describes a way to reach the Spirit.  Steps to take in that endeavor may also be given.  Yet, prayer remains elusive to me.  I wonder if learning to meditate would help in my search for prayer.  Maybe prayer by its nature is a bit void of a definition.  What is prayer for me may not be for another person.

I walked a labyrinth once.  An interesting thing happened.  As I was walking the designated path, I began to feel something.  A closeness to whatever I was seeking.  It took me by surprise.  It was a spiritual experience.  I left that place knowing something I had not known when I walked through the door.  For me that was an experience in prayer.  It was alive.  It came at a time when I was able to quiet my mind for just a bit.  It was peaceful and emotional.

Back to the steps that some books list as ways to pray.  Does God wish a formula or an open spirit?  Am I saying a formula is wrong?  No, but for me the formula would get in the way. I would try to figure out if I were on step one or three and what happened to step two.  For some a formula maybe the very thing to move them into a peaceful place.  We are all different in our search for God.  Whatever gets us there, great.

Prayer is communication.  There is a time to speak and a time to listen.  Listening means we must be quiet.  Oh--that can be so difficult.  That also means waiting.  In our world we can have almost anything we desire very quickly.  Why in the world should I be expected to wait when I do pray?  Maybe because some things simply take time.  When I am listening to someone express their thoughts, it takes time for me to assimilate what they are saying.  I may need to think about what they shared to grasp exactly the meaning in their words.  There might be a need that I overlooked because I was in a hurry to respond.  The waiting can be a very good thing.  But difficult.

Like Mother Teresa, I don't feel God all the time.  Or some of the time.  Or most of the time.  Or do I?  When others have a need that I can fill, is that a God thing?  When an idea pops into my mind from nowhere and leads me in a new direction, is that an answered prayer?  Is stepping into a situation outside my experience a push from God to move beyond what I know?  When my spirit is moved by another person, is that God showing me grace?  Teaching me?

Prayer needs to be simple for me.  It needs very little.  God and me.  No set words, no objects, no special time or place--even though I certainly love the mountains and Northwest coastline!   It happens in my car, in my home, in the mall, in the grocery store, in church.  For me it is a constant.  Something available whenever I call for it.  It is my friend.

I don't usually write about such personal things.  But, today seemed like a good day to write about prayer, and what it is for me.  As I shared earlier in this blog, each person finds their own way to prayer.  And that is as it should be.

Thank you for reading.