We all know that prayer is central to the Christian life. But, at some points in our lives, prayer can seem like one of those chores you do because you feel you have to – much like those times we were made to eat our veggies as kids: “Just eat it … it’s good for you.” You may have become stuck in your prayer life or you may wonder if there’s really anything more you can really do. So, the idea of doing more prayer just seems a bit much.

For this week’s devotions, I would like you to read the Scriptures for the week, and also use the exercises below to help you evaluate where you are in your prayer life, and offer possibilities for growth.

Scriptures for the Week:

• Monday: Mathew 6:7-15
• Tuesday: Isaiah 40:28-31
• Wednesday: Philippians 4:1-9
• Thursday: Romans 8:17-27
• Friday: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Exercises

Take a few minutes each day to consider your own prayer life. To get the most benefit out of this exercise, I encourage you to journal (either on paper or electronically). The action of writing helps you clarify your thoughts and it is helpful to look back on what you’ve written.

• Consider your own prayer life
  • What does your prayer life look like?
  • How has your prayer life changed over the last few years?
• Reasons to pray
  • Take a minute or two, and write as many reasons as you can think of to pray
  • If you took 20-30 minutes each day to pray, what might be some of the benefits for taking that time in prayer?
• Next steps
  • If you are not praying, make time for prayer. Just like exercise or dieting, it can be difficult getting started. The key is just to start … dive in. Make a commitment to set aside time for prayer.
  • If you get stuck … try something else (see “Many Ways to Pray” below)
  • What works for one person, may not work for another.
  • What may have worked for you at one stage in your life, may not work now.
  • Select a time and place in the morning where you can’t be disturbed – go to the same place every day
  • Light a candle to set aside this time for prayer
  • If sitting isn’t working for you, try praying while you walk
  • Try journalling, even if you’ve tried it before. Below are a few things to consider as you journal:
    • You don’t have to write pages and pages. Start by writing “yesterday” on the top of a page, then write 1 or 2 sentences.
      • stop and dwell on what you’ve written
    • Your journal is not for anyone else to see
    • Make resolutions to speak to people you’ve wronged or speak to people who have wronged you
    • You will find that journalling helps you to act more deliberately

Many Ways to Pray

Did you know that there are many ways to pray? Hopefully that’s good news to you! If one way is not working for you or your prayer life has become stale, try another method.

• Lectio (reading) – there are many helpful devotional readings: writings of church fathers, and other faithful people whose writings helps us see and experience God in different ways.
• Meditatio (mediation) – with so much busyness in our lives, silence can be very hard to come by. When we meditate, it is helpful to have a word, phrase or image that helps to focus us. Perhaps “Jesus, you are the light of the world”, “light”, “love”, “thank you.” When we engage in meditation, inevitably all of the stuff that we’ve ignored or pushed down start to emerge. We think of chores, people we haven’t been in touch with, people we’ve wronged. For this style of prayer, keep a pad of paper near you. Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to focus. Just let these ideas and thoughts come to mind, write them down, commit them to God, and return to your mediation. When they surface, write them down and return to the tool you were using to focus your prayer. You may find that you come away from your time of meditation with a to-do list, but it will likely be a better list than had you not had that time in meditation.
• Oratio (pray) – this is intentional prayer time. You may have a list of people or concerns. When you are in prayer, be sure to take time to listen. If prayer is a dialogue, about 50% of the conversation should involve you listening.
• Contemplatio (contemplation) – This is much like meditatio, but it is passive … simply being with God. It is not just “thinking” about God, but resting in His presence and letting the Spirit set the agenda and carry you.

Resources:

• “I am so busy now that if I did not spend three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day.” ~ Martin Luther
• “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” ~ Mother Theresa
• With appreciation to Bishop Mike Rinehart, bishop of the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, whose April 1, 2013 podcast inspired this devotion. www.bishopmike.com