I received a comment from a reader this morning that really grabbed my attention. PD reader Jeanie Rose wrote, “So many churches assume everyone prays without giving any instruction on the many “how-to-s”. Prayer is just too powerful a tool to leave to chance.” Describing prayer as a powerful tool gave me pause to think about how we handle our prayers. When something is powerful there is a need to be careful and conscientious with it. This is true for prayer as well. Following are four tips for handing your prayer with care.
- Remember to Whom You are Speaking. When you pray you are speaking to the Creator of all that ever was and ever will be. You are speaking to the one who has given you life. You are speaking to a power, a wisdom, a love, that is unfathomable with in our own human experience. Coming to our prayers with awe, respect and reverence should be a given, but is it? What is your attitude when you come to God in prayer? Do you come humbly? Do you come expectantly? What is an appropriate mind to bring to pray when you are addressing the King of King and Lord of Lords?
- Choose Your Finest Words. God will hear your heart no matter what your mouth says; nevertheless, I find I grow in prayer when I strive to find the best words possible. And, what are the best words? The best words are those that most fully and honestly give expression to what is in your heart. My congregants have heard me correct myself in prayer on more than one occasion. Sometimes I realize that the words I am speaking don’t quite express what I am thinking or feeling. When that happens you might hear me in prayer back up by saying something like, “Wait, Lord that is not quite it. What I really mean to say is…” In short, don’t be lazy about your language. Strive to be as honest, respectful and open as you can possibly be in the words you choose.
- Give God Your Full Attention. It is very easy to just mouth off words and have your mind on something else entirely. This is particularly easy to do when you can’t physically see to whom you are speaking. The advent of texting, IM’ing, chatting and a host of other instant media activities has resulted in a shift of consciousness toward continuous partial attention. When you are always interruptible, it is extremely difficult to be committed to being fully present. Turn of your cell phone for God every once in awhile. Make an unbreakable appointment with God and while you are in that appointment be totally fully present.
- Consider your posture. Studies show that perhaps as little as 7% of communication is the words we say. 38% is how we say it and as much as 55% may be nonverbal communication. You can pray in any position or while doing anything, but being intentional at times about how you posture yourself for prayer can be beneficial. I don’t kneel to pray often but when I do it has a way of immediately humbling my heart and focusing my mind on God. Sometimes when I am leading prayer while standing I gently rock. That is very intentional. The slight physical motion focuses me and prompts a flowing quality to my prayers that is difficult to capture in words. It almost moves my prayers to something like a low level of song. What about praying in bed? A lot of people (including me) pray in bed before they go to sleep. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think falling asleep in prayers is an awesome way to end the day. But, what would it say about the importance of prayer in your life if you took time to kneel by your bed or sit in a particular chair for a few minutes of prayer before you went to bed? It would definitely make a statement about the priority of prayer in your life. I can also tell you from experience that your mind won’t wander as much as it does lying in your bed.
I encourage you to pick just one of these tips and practice it daily for the next week and see how it benefits your prayer life. Prayer is one of the most important activities you engage in. I encourage you to give it the time, attention, and respect it deserves as one of God’s most priceless gifts to you.
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