Let’s talk about prayer. Do you pray?
I guess the first thing we need to do is figure out what prayer is.
There are stock prayers like the Jewish Shema, the Christian Lord’s Prayer, the Buddhist Refuge Prayer, and the Islamic Fatiha. I always find prayers like this to be like buying a greeting card for your lover instead of writing a love note yourself. There’s nothing wrong with Hallmark, but how much more meaningful is a personal message?
Sometimes we feel we have to be formal when we pray. We pull out the fancy, flowery language. But formality puts us at a distance from Spirit. Formality leads to distance and distance leads to feeling powerless. Feeling powerless can lead to resentment.
Feeling distant from Spirit also leaves us feeling alienated. But, as Rumi said, we are not a drop in the ocean, we are the ocean in a drop. Spirit dwells within us and we within Spirit.
Many religions call Spirit “beloved.” How do we talk to the one we love the most? We excitedly talk about a new project. We bitch about traffic. We say I love you. We express gratitude. We have conversation after conversation.
Thank you is a powerful prayer. Thank you for the beautiful sunset. Thank you for all the love in my life. Thank you for the green light. Thank you for my favorite song coming on radio. Gratitude keeps the good things flowing to us.
Affirmations are also potent little prayers. I always know my next right step. And so we do. Money flows to me. And so it does.
Another simple and powerful prayer is to invite Spirit to be with us as we wake up each morning.
I encourage you to look at your view of prayer. Here are some questions that may help you.
- Do you believe in prayer? Why or why not?
- How do you feel if someone says they’ll pray for you?
- What types of prayer do you like? Standard ones from a faith community? One you learned as a child? One you’ve found as an adult? One you’ve written yourself?
- Do you pray for guidance? For help in difficult situations?
- Have you tried prayers of gratitude? Of praise? (Look at that moon! A cardinal right when I needed a sign! Free cupcakes!)
- Do you pray for friends? Family members? Strangers?
- Do you ever have conversations with Spirit?
Tell me how you pray. Or, if you don’t, I’d love to hear why.