Prayer Chain Prayer Chain Dear Lord,
You know the people I am praying for much better than I do. You know their needs and the burdens they carry. Lord, I ask You to be with them now, working in their lives. I believe You hear this heartfelt prayer. I have faith in You to heal them, but I also trust in the plan You have for them. Lord, I don't always understand Your ways, but I trust You. I ask that You look with mercy and grace upon them. Nourish their spirits and souls and comfort them with Your presence. Please let them know You are with them through these difficulties and give them strength. I ask also, that through Your grace, I may have the faith and strength required to help them. Amen Please name aloud those who we have listed in this prayer chain and others who may need your prayers, have faith in the answer, and believe. For Health and Healing Aidyn (seizures) Sheri P. Clyde and Donna Lynda P. battling cancer Dale D - cancer Karen MacM - breast cancer Linda A. Faye M. Christine Pam K. Jenn and family Kevin G battling cancer Jennifer B & impending twins; Olga S. Linda L. John S. (Edm.) Ina S. Jack K. Ron P. For Joy to Overcome Grief David, Teresa and Mary-Margaret G. Greg R. Mike and Deanne W. Kathleen D and family The family of Rev. Flo MacDonald; Eva T. For Strength in Difficult Times Tom P. Joe and Karen "The Canadian Forces" at the request of David J. Bill and Shirley K. Mike and Carole D. Robyn C. The Family of Cedrika P. Linda K. Glaze Mc. Bob S. Aung San Suu Kyi In Memory Bill G. "Shorty" W. Karl Maree May God bless you in your faith. Please feel free to add any names to the web list by contacting us at: StEdmunds.Calgary@gmail.com and circulate the prayer chain freely. |
The Art of Prayer
The Art of Prayer
It’s never too late to learn how to pray effectively. Prayer is our greatest opportunity to connect with spiritual energy, but unfortunately it’s seldom properly taught so that most of us go  through life finding prayer unsatisfying. The “how-to” is rarely ever mentioned in church.
I recall an old friend who would proudly report how he disliked prayer services. “The prayer book has nothing to say”, he would comment, “and besides I read it countless times before”. What he didn’t get was that the text contains untold variations of praise and gratitude for God. What he also didn’t know was that the prayer book was composed with the prime intent to develop the one thing that spiritual practice requires - faith.
Faith
Faith is something other than belief. A belief is an intensely embedded thought, to which, for one reason or another, we become firmly attached. But beliefs are subject to change. The one-time, commonly held belief that the world was flat was quickly dispelled by Columbus’ voyages, and so it goes like so many beliefs, which depending on the latest news releases may be subject to change. Faith, however, never changes; it is a kind of inner knowing that relates trust and confidence in God. To have faith means that we understand the universe with all its components to be of one essential quality, wholeness. That means you and me, the trees and the stars, and everything else that exists is a manifestation of the One God. We have all been born with an inherent perception of faith, but like so many other qualities that we lost in the process of “growing up”; faith also went by the wayside. Fortunately, we can learn to re-establish faith.
With faith we know that whatever crosses our path can only be for the good. Without faith, prayer gets reduced to just mouthing the words. You might ask where was the good that God delivered when six million were being murdered in the concentration camps. The answer is that we don’t know; we’re not God.
Rebuilding Faith
Some steps we can take to rebuild our faith are to:
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Take some personal time to study the prayer book, review the structure of the service and take special notice that prayer comes in three “flavours”—praise for God, thankfulness for what we have received, and petitions for what we need.
Are our prayers answered?
Absolutely! If we petition God for our real needs - wisdom, repentance, forgiveness, healing, abundance, etc. we always receive what we need, even though we don’t necessarily approve of our gifts. We may think that we need more love, or more money to make us happy. God may not agree and consequently sends us something to the contrary. Sometimes, we’re dealt illness, something we definitely don’t want, but God is sending us a message that some aspect in our lives is out of balance or in disparity with the universe; an explicit message to repair the spiritual damage. At other times, we may lose our jobs or important relationships—a clear signal that some aspect of our lives need fixing and from those shattered dreams new possibilities will arise. We have to learn to listen carefully to these messages. Through prayer we both ask and receive.
Making prayer simple
By its very nature, prayer is simple; let’s not overcomplicate matters. Prescribed times can add to the complexity. Tradition prescribes fixed prayer three daily—morning, afternoon and evening; several hours a day every day. Most spiritual seekers today would find this much too time consuming. An option would be to review the prayer book, and determine a reasonable amount of time that you can devote to prayer daily. The object is to pray daily (it is quality not quantity that counts) which ultimately leads to a prayerful life, a life dedicated to nurturing the soul.
Another thing is to approach prayer with humility. Be honest with yourself. Don’t allow yourself to feel inadequate because of lack of learning; criticizing yourself is contrary to spiritual development. Instead, congratulate yourself for getting this far and realize that, wherever you are, is the right place for you right now.
Some final thoughts…
Taking notice of the symbolism of holiness that we find in the church can intensify prayer. Gazing upon such tokens of holiness takes us out of ordinary time and transports us to a world where people’s faith brings the covenant of joyous life that God has promised. Recognize that the church in not merely a place for communal meetings or rite of passage celebrations, see it for what it really is—a gym to stretch our spiritual muscles.
Exercises to intensify your prayer
1. For a while, especially for beginners, try praying without a prayer book. Close your eyes for a while, listening to the music and the voices of the congregation. You can add body movement by gently swaying from side to side. Notice what feelings are being generated by the sound of the prayer. See if you can find something special that your silent prayer is relating to you.
2. The service is an ideal time to carry out a workout for the soul. At key junctures during the service, start by taking a deep breath inward and feel your body relax with each exhalation. Direct the words you recite, whether silently or aloud, inwardly as if talking directly to your heart. Focus your conscious attention so strongly on the praise and gratitude for God in the text until all extraneous thoughts dissolve and you become one with the Holy One.
This material has been abridged with thanks from The Art of Jewish Prayer http://www.jewishealing.com/spirituality2.html |
