This past week I visited a church and asked the congregation about difficulties they have praying. As usually the first answer offered up regarding an inability to focus. Another answer though came up which is not uncommon. Someone mentioned that they have a difficult time finding the right words. First off, I am not so certain there are “right” words to be found. Lovely and profound words lacking in heart or conviction, I rather suspect are like burnt offering offerings without obedience in the Old Testament.
Speaking from the heart with the best honesty you can muster is the best we can hope for. If you examine the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus offered, you will noticed that it is neither lengthy are overly eloquent. I always strive to choose my finest words, but trust that sincerity gives them greater weight with God than perhaps any other characteristic.
If you really want to expand your prayer vocabulary, I strongly recommend getting a book of prayers to use devotionally. A classic old favorite of mine is A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. The book is roughly a month of morning and evening prayers with a blank opposing page for each where you can write your own prayers. I have filled out a couple of these. The language is a bit archaic, but the depth and breadth of prayer which Baillie offers is rather immense. If take mimic the content that he covers in his prayers but in your own personal style. I think you will find that the scope of what you think about in regards to prayer will broaden and deepen.
If you can’t find John Baillie’s book, I would still recommend finding a devotional resource that will prompt you to think more broadly when you pray. Either way, seek sincerity and honesty in what you lift before God. If you want to challenge yourself even further, consider praying without words. Take some time to just mentally form as full an image as you possibly can of what you are praying about and lift it upto God. Picture in your mind the full outcome if your prayer were to be answered as you hope. For instance, some times when I preach I pray for the congregation in this way. I don’t just imagine them sitting there and soaking in a sermon and being wonderfully connecting. Instead, I picture them at home or work applying whatever I addressed. So, if I preach on forgiveness, I hold up to God an image of people going home and calling someone they are disenfanchised with or offering an apology. If I preach about service, then I picture them moved to help someone else. You get the picture (no pun intended).
Praying in pictures has a couple effects upon you as the prayer. First, it makes you really slow down and consider practical what your prayer would mean. Second, praying in pictures usually causes me to spend much more time on individual prayers than usually. Lastly, while I can’t necessarily prove or quantify it, I have a strong sense that when i do this my prayers are frankly far more effective.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes. With gratitude for any who read my blog, The Practical Disciple.