On Prayer, Part I

Verbal Prayer, Continued
After my presentation, which is reflected in the entry below, I asked the attendees to break into four groups. I had already arranged for people to be facilitators of these groups. The goal was to share, as much as comfortable, personal prayer practices and disciplines. I asked that the focus be practical and concrete. For example: did one pray certain times each day - if so, how often? What names or titles were used for the divine (God, Jesus, etc)? Were certain intents always considered in the same order?

The following list reflects the responses which came out of the groups. These responses confirm my notion that there are almost as many ways to pray as there are people. Although I believe you will note some common features as you review these responses.

Group One focused on "practices we use to encourage ourselves to pray":

• morning solitude; carving out time in the day before the chaos kicks in — no noise, no distractions, no others
• walking the dog and praying favorite prayers (e.g., Psalms 3 and 51)
• "observing the day", that is, sunrise, sunset, weather, nature (one said s/he "smells God in mums")
• displaying icons that inspire prayer and meditation
• informal conversations with God throughout the day, regardless of time or place
• participation in prayer-related groups or ministries; for example, at church or in a 12-Step program
• practicing meditations on gratitude to increase awareness of blessings
• taking advantage of any opportunity to pray, including secular situations (e.g., traffic, workplace, etc.)
• we have a God who loves to be read to
• Episcopalians are "people of the book," who are accustomed to using prayers or psalms from the Book of Common Prayer

Group Two:

• most pray in the morning, a few at other times
• expressing gratitude in prayer helps one be aware of more things to be grateful for
• prayer encourages gratitude, as gratitude encourages prayer
• discussed why Episcopalians are uncomfortable with leading public prayer
• one theory offered was that Episcopalians see prayer as intimacy with God
• thus, public prayer would be a sort of "public display of affection"

Group Three:

• most pray intermittently during the day, but mostly at night
• offer brief prayers throughout the day, but still set special time apart for "focused" prayer
• use prayer beads (Roman Catholic or Anglican rosary)
• are encouraged by the example of other denominations (one member lives in a predominantly Baptist community)
• Many in this group shared the story of being raised as Christians, then drifting away in young adulthood. As they matured, these people felt a spiritual hunger; their childhood experiences encouraged them to return to the church.
• one person who shared this story also shared that s/he is struggling to re-learn how to pray

Group Four:

• pray that God will know his/her heart, that it might be at peace
• find comfort in St. Francis' prayer, "Make me an instrument of your peace"
• put on armor of God before praying
• pray that every room you enter be defended from the enemy
• One person drives to work early every day, taking a picturesque route so s/he may rejoice in God's creation
• when praying for another's healing, picture that person enveloped and filled with God's healing white light (see Agnes Sandford, The Healing Light)
• some begin their daily prayer time using a service from the Book of Common Prayer