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We don’t have the answer — but I hope (and pray) that prayer will lead me to be in line with God’s will. I know over the years the Holy Spirit has changed me.
All the same, I’m a rotten pray-er. No routine lately, and discipline seems to be required …
What if disciplined prayer is merely one life stage of prayer, and not even necessarily the most powerful life stage? Thanks for bringing this up, Katherine. Want to go into this more deeply later…right now it’s past my bedtime. As usual.
I have different prayers for different situations. Each morning I try to have a “rote” type of prayer that just gets my day “framed” – to remind me of the relationship….sort of a way to say “Hello God”.
If I am praying a petition – I have been working on how I present my problems to God. I learned this from John 2 when Mary told Jesus there was no more wine. She presented the problem in a way that there was not a specific expectation of the answer. I try to do the same, to really define the problem and not what I want the answer to be. Just going through that exercise sometimes really helps with perspective.
And then there are those times when I just feel a need to get back in connection – those prayers are rambling thoughts and words (and sometimes I think I actually hear God giving a good chuckle). It is those times that I think I grow more spiritually – a free flow of thoughts and emotions…sort of pouring out. I am not really “asking” for anything – more so acknowledging and affirming Him and where I was in His presence.
I love “flash prayers” — I think from Richard Foster’s book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. In line at the grocery store or the traffic light, quickly ask God to bless whoever’s in front of you, especially if you find them annoying! Also, when I walk around the block, I try to name the neighbors and ask God to keep them in God’s hands. (of course, God does it anyway, but he/she likes us to ask. I think?)
Great stuff! I love the flash prayers and free-flow as a time of real spiritual growth. How good to give ourselves permission to jump out of the prayer box.