“Teach us to pray” the disciples asked Jesus in the Gospel of Luke 11:1. It has been suggested that the disciples would have known how to pray – they were steeped in the prayers and psalms of their Jewish faith. And that perhaps what they were really asking was “teach us to pray as you do”. The disciples noticed that Jesus, frequently withdrew to pray; a time for communing with his “Abba” a title for God connoting a loving relationship. He prayed during times of fatigue, during distress, in search of guidance before big decisions and reappeared refreshed and strengthened. Jesus continues to teach all who ask.
Although I love the traditional prayers we use in our prayer books and liturgies, I recall hungering for a more personal way to pray. Early in my search, I happened across some brochures on “how to pray”. Now I realize those helpful introductions to prayer came from the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer (AFP) and they were instrumental in nurturing a love of prayer that keeps sprouting.
One of the branches on this “prayer tree,” is that of Ignatian prayer. St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us that there will be times of consolation (well-being and connectedness) as well as times of desolation (difficulty and isolation). He teaches that during these periods of joy and energy, it is helpful to create a habit of prayer that will uphold and keep us afloat during times of floundering.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah17:8
Similarly, our Book of Common Prayer suggests creating a rule of life (page 555). The purpose here is to intentionally put aside time for God, a space to commune with and be guided by the Divine.
And just as there are diverse people and personalities, so there are varied ways to pray. Brother Lawrence was a French lay monk in the 1700’s who “Practiced the Presence of God” whether in chapel or at work, living his life “to the glory of God”. More recently, Anne Lamott in her book “Help, Thanks, Wow” shows us that prayer doesn’t have to be formal. She too takes prayer into everyday life.
Those of us who love musicals might remember Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and have music accompany us as prayer.
The former Dean (Robert) of Canterbury Cathedral who led many of us in virtual Morning Prayer during COVID advised putting favorite verses of the Psalms into our “spiritual backpack”.
A newer practice is one I discovered this summer while participating in the 3 ½ week program “Crossroads for Women” with the Sisters of Saint John the Divine in Toronto. Their guesthouse has many fire doors and to maintain the quiet and peace associated with retreat, praying or sleeping, we were asked to hold the doors on exiting to ensure they didn’t bang. This created many “pauses for prayer”. I was struck by the variety of responses I had to this time of stillness – peace, impatience, concern for others, gratitude, sorrow when I forgot. Now that I am home, I find myself pausing in doorways to pray for a friend, to say a mantra to calm myself or to marvel at the garden.
However we pray, there is always more. Prayer is a journey. Jesus continues to teach us. Let us pray as we can.
Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash
