How do you pray? Do
you have a set place or places in which you pray? Do you have a set time or two each day that
you pray? Do you use a specified form
for your prayers, or do you pray what's on your heart and mind at the moment,
or do you use some combination of the two?
There are a multitude of models for prayer. Some of these are:
1.
The monastic model - Monks and nuns observe
eight traditional "hours" (periods) of prayer during the day when
they gather together.
2.
William Law - An 18th century English
clergyperson, Law adapted the monastic model for individual use, suggesting
that times of prayer each day should focus on different things:
a.
praise and thanksgiving
b.
humility
c.
intercession
d.
grace for resignation to God's will
e.
self-examination (confession)
f.
meditation upon death
3.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - This 20th century German
theologian suggested that we spend time each day in meditation upon a portion
of Scripture and its meaning for us in that moment, prayer for strength and
guidance and spiritual growth, and prayers for others.
4.
The Jesus Prayer - Used mainly in the Eastern
Orthodox tradition of the Church, the Jesus Prayer is a model for trying to
attain St. Paul's injunction to "be constant in prayer." (Rom. 12:12) It consists of a constant repetition in the
heart of the simple prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on
me, a sinner."
5.
Silence - In the 46th Psalm, we read the words,
"Be still, and know that I am God."
The early Desert Fathers and Mothers -- those spiritual leaders of the
Church during the early centuries of the Christian Era -- valued being silent
before God above most everything else.
One of those leaders, Abba Arsenius, once said, "I have often
repented of having spoken, but seldom of having remained silent."
6.
Spiritual Direction - The art of spiritual
direction is an ancient discipline of spirituality in the Church. It is the practice of putting yourself under
the direction of someone more experienced in the Faith, more experienced in
prayer, more experienced in life in the Spirit.
7.
Use of Prayer Books or other Devotional Books -
Sometimes it helps to have words to guide and inspire our prayers, because
sometimes we simply have no words to pray, and sometimes such guides remind us of
other things and people for which to pray.
In the last couple of weeks, I've experienced yet another
way to pray... a kind of prayer only possible with 21st century social media
and technology. Two different groups
have invited people to join on Twitter for a time of prayer together. The host sends a tweet that opens the time in
prayer, and then suggests in a new tweet a subject around which to gather our
prayers, and people may either pray on their own or reply with a tweet of
something for which they'd like those gathered in cyberspace to pray. After a set amount of time, the host tweets a
closing prayer. I don't know how to
explain it, and I know it sounds pretty "out there," and I didn't
think I would like it, but it works. I
wouldn't want that to be my only discipline of prayer, but it was a new,
refreshing way to be with others in prayer in a very real and intentional way.
