Many would say they know how to pray and promptly recite a written prayer they memorized in grade school. While this is a good practice, prayer can be so much more than that, and rather than a thirty second period of time, it can be continuous.The concept of prayer is simple: being with God. What is amazing is that everything can become a prayer when God is invited into it, and it is offered to Him.
“Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God” St. Teresa of Avila said.
Prayer connects us to God and in being aware of His presence with us, everything in our life becomes more meaningful. The mundane gains purpose in the light of God’s plan, and tedious tasks become sanctifying when offered to God.
This could look like a prayer before doing homework, getting groceries, or just before the next hour of the day and whatever it brings. It could be a simple, “Jesus, be with me in this; I offer this to you,” and it could even be offered to God for a specific prayer intention.
“The only wrong way to pray is to not pray,” high school teacher Ms. Eilerman said.
Prayer can involve talking to God about day to day things, struggles, fears, and hopes. It can be time spent reading Scripture while paying attention to, and reflecting on, what stands out from God’s word. This is done in order to understand what God may be trying to say to the reader personally. Additionally, prayer could look like time spent listening to Christian music or in nature while being cognizant of and receptive to God. Written prayers and receiving the Sacraments are other ways to pray.
Another form of prayer that is challenging but rewarding, is praying in silence. In a friendship, one talks but also listens. By spending time in silence, it is easier to let go of distractions and listen to God and how He may be speaking to them. For example, one may hear God through a thought that comes to mind, but one also must realize that thoughts can come from God, ourselves, or the enemy and strive to discern the origin of the thought.
Time spent in stillness and silence with God is extremely peaceful. However, it is not easy to do without getting antsy and side-tracked, so it is best to consistently practice spending a small amount of time in silence and build up to a longer period of time.
“Only in silence does man succeed in hearing in the depth of his conscience the voice of God, which really makes him free,” St. John Paul II said.
God longs for an intimate relationship with His children. In any human relationship, there is an investment of time on both sides, and prayer is a way to invest in a relationship with God. God has already invested everything and continues to invest all of Himself into this relationship.
It is up to His children to turn to Him in prayer and receive the gifts of love, mercy, joy, peace, purpose, and the reality of being fully known and loved, which flow forth from a relationship with the God who made them.
