No time to pray? Maybe this will change your mind.....
Yes, you can pray without “the book”—the personal prayer notebook I’ve talked about the last few blogs.In fact, we must pray when something stirs our heart. God has no office hours. He hears whenever, wherever, however.
If you’ve never read anything by the 17th century monk Brother Lawrence or 20th century literacy advocate Frank Laubach, you should. Both wrote about practicing the presence of God, of being aware of Him and conversing with Him throughout the day. For Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God), that could happen even as he went about his duties in the monastery kitchen. Laubach’s The Game with Minutes spoke of minute-by-minute awareness of God. Their books will move and challenge you.
But, for starters, consider these ideas for quick prayer:
*Waiting-time prayers. Instead of shifting your thinking into neutral when you’re on public transportation or in a waiting room, pray for the person sitting next to you or someone whose body language (tears, anxiety) points to a serious need.
*Siren prayers. Instead of saying, “Better move over to the side, or “I wonder where they’re going,” whenever you hear a siren from an emergency vehicle, pray. Ask for physical and emotional strength for the unknowns that police, fire or ambulance workers will face. Pray for the victims in their panic and confusion.
*Driving prayers. Pray for that sloppy or cell-phone chatting driver who doesn’t realize others on the road are being put at risk. Pray for businesses or government officials when you drive past stores or city hall. Thank God for stoplights, highway signs, and even good roads to drive on. Praise Him for the invention of vehicles to move people and products.
*Housework prayers. On laundry day, pray for the person whose clothes you’re folding or ironing. When cooking, praise God for your electric and gas “servants” (stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, etc.). Thank Him for safe water, farmers, a garden, and stores.
Don’t forget:
*Arrow prayers. When a crisis slams into your life, pray briefly. “Lord, help me.” “Holy God, control my tongue.” “Jesus, be with me through this.” “Help me be loving to this disagreeable person.”
*Breath prayers. A Christian practice that’s millennia old, it combines breathing and short petitions. When you inhale, you say a name or attribute of God. On exhaling, you add the petition. The classic breath prayer: “Jesus, Son of David…have mercy on me, a sinner.” The “A-Z” names section of your Personal Prayer Notebook will help you with more brief breath prayers. S-Shepherd: “Jesus, my Good Shepherd…lead me by the still waters.” “God of Truth…show me the way through this confusion.” “God of Peace…calm my troubled heart.”
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I just finished reading The Hole in the Gospel by World Vision CEO Richard Stearns. Powerful book! In one of his chapters (“What Are You Going to Do About It?”), he lists more ideas for spontaneous prayer, focused on the hurting world. Some of his suggestions for prayer (from pp. 291-192):
Morning shower—pray for those without clean water.
Packing family lunches—for the billion chronically hungry in today’s world.
Job commute—those unable to support their families or the millions of children in harmful or exploitative labor.
Dropping kids off at school—children barred from an education because of poverty or discrimination.
Taking vitamins—those without adequate health care.
Coming home after work—the homeless.
Night-time tuck-in—the millions of AIDS orphans, many surviving without guardians.
Would you care to share some of your ideas or experiences? Please feel free to add a comment in the space below.
If you’ve never read anything by the 17th century monk Brother Lawrence or 20th century literacy advocate Frank Laubach, you should. Both wrote about practicing the presence of God, of being aware of Him and conversing with Him throughout the day. For Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God), that could happen even as he went about his duties in the monastery kitchen. Laubach’s The Game with Minutes spoke of minute-by-minute awareness of God. Their books will move and challenge you.
But, for starters, consider these ideas for quick prayer:
*Waiting-time prayers. Instead of shifting your thinking into neutral when you’re on public transportation or in a waiting room, pray for the person sitting next to you or someone whose body language (tears, anxiety) points to a serious need.
*Siren prayers. Instead of saying, “Better move over to the side, or “I wonder where they’re going,” whenever you hear a siren from an emergency vehicle, pray. Ask for physical and emotional strength for the unknowns that police, fire or ambulance workers will face. Pray for the victims in their panic and confusion.
*Driving prayers. Pray for that sloppy or cell-phone chatting driver who doesn’t realize others on the road are being put at risk. Pray for businesses or government officials when you drive past stores or city hall. Thank God for stoplights, highway signs, and even good roads to drive on. Praise Him for the invention of vehicles to move people and products.
*Housework prayers. On laundry day, pray for the person whose clothes you’re folding or ironing. When cooking, praise God for your electric and gas “servants” (stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, etc.). Thank Him for safe water, farmers, a garden, and stores.
Don’t forget:
*Arrow prayers. When a crisis slams into your life, pray briefly. “Lord, help me.” “Holy God, control my tongue.” “Jesus, be with me through this.” “Help me be loving to this disagreeable person.”
*Breath prayers. A Christian practice that’s millennia old, it combines breathing and short petitions. When you inhale, you say a name or attribute of God. On exhaling, you add the petition. The classic breath prayer: “Jesus, Son of David…have mercy on me, a sinner.” The “A-Z” names section of your Personal Prayer Notebook will help you with more brief breath prayers. S-Shepherd: “Jesus, my Good Shepherd…lead me by the still waters.” “God of Truth…show me the way through this confusion.” “God of Peace…calm my troubled heart.”
****
I just finished reading The Hole in the Gospel by World Vision CEO Richard Stearns. Powerful book! In one of his chapters (“What Are You Going to Do About It?”), he lists more ideas for spontaneous prayer, focused on the hurting world. Some of his suggestions for prayer (from pp. 291-192):
Morning shower—pray for those without clean water.
Packing family lunches—for the billion chronically hungry in today’s world.
Job commute—those unable to support their families or the millions of children in harmful or exploitative labor.
Dropping kids off at school—children barred from an education because of poverty or discrimination.
Taking vitamins—those without adequate health care.
Coming home after work—the homeless.
Night-time tuck-in—the millions of AIDS orphans, many surviving without guardians.
Would you care to share some of your ideas or experiences? Please feel free to add a comment in the space below.
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