[If you did not take the 2-question survey about prayer, it is not too late. Go here.]
Prayer is always an act of faith. It begins with faith, must be carried through in faith, and finished in faith. Every ordinary prayer prayed in the most ordinary way by the most ordinary person is a revolutionary statement of trust. It is to take a stand and say: I have questions only God can answer, I have a longing only he can fill, I bear pain that only a crucified Lord can understand. I need to speak with God!
When you read what the Bible says about prayer, it appears that God is far more interested in our bringing before him a steady flow of ordinary, even homely prayers, rather than great eruptions of spiritual energy. Prayer shapes us best as habit, a steady pulse of unhurried conversations with God. We have to trust that it is the right thing to do. And then we need to do it.
To establish prayer as habit, each of us needs to understand where and how we best pray. Some people pray best when they use the words of the Psalms or another prayer book. Others find the quieter early morning the time and place where they can talk to God.
I’m not sure I know why, but I find it easiest to pray when I’m walking. Maybe sitting stationary allows too many distractions to fly around in my head. Maybe I concentrate best on my “walk” in life when I’m physically walking. Any walkway will do—concrete sidewalk or asphalt road; a footpath is better. When I get a chance to walk in the woods, that’s better still, but the best is to walk along a shore. (And if a shore isn’t available, just thinking about it does the trick.)
I was born in Chicago and since then I’ve lived in four different phases of my life in different towns or cities on the western side of Lake Michigan, and I’m so grateful for that. Whenever I walk along the shore of that vast lake it seems like walking along the edge of eternity. The landward side is the world of firm ground I belong to, but out across the water is another world that is alien and even threatening to me with its depths and its waves and its brisk winds. Yet those two worlds are not opposed to each other. Our bodies are, after all, more than 90% water.
I think I like to walk along the shore of a lake or an ocean because of this reminder: that we all walk on an edge between this world and eternity. When we pray we are acting as earth-creatures casting our voices out to the expanse of where God dwells. He dwells in this world, to be sure, but because he is also beyond this world our connections with him (often made concrete in prayer) save us in this world.
Patterns of devotion are not our brilliant ideas of how we can reach God. They are God’s loving invitations to interact with him. The Bible invites us to trust, and then speak up rather than be closed up.
Here are just some of those invitations:
— “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 2:12).
— “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).
— “They devoted themselves… to prayer” (Acts 2:42).
— “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).
— “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
— “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7).
— “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20).
[next time: more about prayer as an everyday habit]
[If you did not take the 2-question survey about prayer, it is not too late. Go here.]
Thanks for another excellent piece Mel ! I always pray early morning as the sun rises. In England looking out into the garden and in Crete, Greece out to sea. I hadn’t thought of praying whilst walking, it sounds like a good idea. I do find that while I’m running, many problems seem to unravel and I feel more confident about fixing them. There is always divine influence when such things happen.
I’ve only visited Lake Ontario and Erie when I was in Canada many years ago. Michigan and Superior must be amazing. My brother’s wife is from Michigan and they spent some years working in Chicago to save up to build a yacht. Now they live in Spain.
As always, going back in history, many wise words were said to explain prayer. Here are some from very different people :
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” [Martin Luther]
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” [Soren Kierkegaard]
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” [Mahatma Gandhi]
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” [Meister Eckhart]
kind regards,
David
Very good reading and informative.
Thank you for this article on Ordinary Prayer. It can help me understand some of the meanings and the whys of what is needed. I have waited a long time to have someone teach me or explain to me about prayer. Thank you this is the start I need to proceed.
Thank you Pastor Mel for message!!
I’ve often wondered about the possibility of our prayer changing the mind of God. I thought I read this was the case somewhere in the OT?
Moses and Samuel, just to name a few, where ask to pray on others behalf (ie an intercessor just as our Messiah is for us). But I don’t think He changes His mind,(the same today, tomorrow and yesterday). I believe that He strengthens our resolve when we are asked to pray for others. Showing us who we truly are in Messiah.
we have a prayer-answering God. To know that He hears all our prayers is too wonderful to grasp fully.Thank u for yr articles on prayer.
Just Keep doing what Great Info I use on The Morning Show .Any Chance of scheduling a phone interview to talk about this. I will need 15 minutes. I host The Morning Show on WNPQ The Light 95.9 and I host a Sunday Morning Program Your Christian Connection. I record on Monday’s and Tuesdays. Looking forward hearing from you if you are interested doing the Phone interview.
Blessings Jim Berni
Thank you for publishing this article “Ordinary Prayer”. It provided some insight to questions I have regarding Prayer. The time I spend speaking with our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit through Prayer help me to feel connected and better know them. Often wonder if I am praying the “right” way. The Bible taught me to spend time alone in Prayer, it is a conversation between the Lord and Me. Conversations of Love, thanks, cofession and much more. I Love praying while walking my dog, there are times when I actually feel out Lord’s presence deep inside and surrounding me. These are treasured moments!
Thank you,
Toni-Marie
Praying is beneficial because we are taught to pray! It is a confidence that God hears & will act! We believe He has control & if our partner is not healed, He has heard our cries & will comfort us in grief. Any comments?
A homely prayer sounds like the type of prayer that I have- no polished , perfect, grammatically correct, utterance of wisdom & a sense of having arrived at that pinnacle of oratory skills.
I don’t pray in groups of Christian people- my style is rough, choppy with pauses of heartfelt thought, honest, grateful, vulnerable.
That’s how it is.
I pray also the best when I’m outside walking in nature, esp. By lakes, beaches & what all park mostly in the morning, or even walking at the mall, sports center, or at my work out club.
In the winter, looking tru areas of newly fallen snow.
I feel like it’s a private personal conversation with my God. About everything about myself as a imperfect person. Not maybe the most successful, wealthy & physically adept person in the eyes of the world, but in Gods eyes I am always striving to be the best person I can be & following his will.