The Privilege of Prayer, 6

I have one more major thought.  People (myself included) need help praying.  It is difficult work.  Our minds are easily distracted.  I lose focus as soon as I start.  It seems in vain and I have to battle for faith.  I need help.  For years I did not understand this . . . I exhorted people to pray and got their engines burning, but never laid down a road for them to drive on. Here are a few thoughts.

First, the psalms are the best school for prayer.  I can stay away from all kinds of weirdness and phony formulas by reading the psalms.  I was taught to pray politely and respectfully to God -- that it was wrong to start with my needs.  I had to begin with worship.  The Psalms have corrected that and many other burden-enhancing notions.  The some psalms begin with "Help!" and crying out to God to "awake" is not exactly polite and respectful as some may define it.  But it is the way they prayed.

Second, some structure is a helpful tool.   It is not bad to use something like ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication).  There are multiple other patterns to follow.  I think the folks who put together the Anglican prayer book have given us a great tool and they knew that many people need help all their lives to pray well.  One of my children finds a prayer book so very useful to them.  Using the Lord's prayer as a format is helpful.  We just did a twenty four hour prayer chain here and gave people a guide for a half hour of prayer.

Third, journalling your prayers gives structure.  It also focuses the mind.  I find if I write out what I am saying to my Father, it organizes my thoughts.

Fourth, not looking at a clock is helpful -- since all of us have been affected by the "sweet hour of prayer" notion that makes length of prayer a mark of godliness.  Find regular time to pray but do not worry about how long.  Prayer throughout the day is more likely to express faith and need for God than prayer only at the beginning of the day.  I prayed with each of my children at bedtime for over twenty years -- the prayers were brief and simple, but they knew what we were going to do when I walked in the door to say goodnight.

Fifth, start praying by reading Scripture, and let your communion with God be fueled by his truth. 

Sixth, keep some sort of prayer list.  There are too many things to pray about every day - so I spread mine out over a week.  Each person has their own method -- but structure is good.

I can recommend the book that is in the sidebar -- the new book on prayer by J I Packer.  He walks through the matter so very thoughtfully and also gives balanced (non-hysterical) evaluation of forms of contemplative prayer as practiced by Catholics.

Finally, remember that praying is not about us.  The drawback to various writings on spirituality is that they tend to make our technique more important than the God to whom we speak.  Prayer is directed to God in faith to his promises through Christ.  It is humble -- a sinner pleading for God to act according to his word.  It is crying out to God with our desperate needs for grace to help us.  God delights to hear and answer.  That is where praying begins and ends.