Prayer Now
Stop.
Close your eyes and quiet your mind. Take some deep breaths. As you breathe in say, “Spirit of God.” As you breathe out say, “Intercede for me.” Repeat as many times as you need.
Listen.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. – Romans 8:26-27
Reflect.
Each Sunday in worship, we’re talking about different elements of our worship services and what they mean for our life and faith. We consider how we might renew them in our current context and how they might renew us in what we believe and how we understand God at work among us. This coming Sunday, we’ll talk about prayer. Of all the faith acts, I regularly encounter the most confusion, anxiety, and guilt around prayer.
It can become a vicious cycle. We feel uninformed or ill-prepared to be in God’s presence through prayer. We avoid it because we feel unworthy or unable. Our lack of prayer leaves us feeling more inexperienced and guilty. The worse we feel, the less we pray, the worse we feel – and the cycle continues on.
While we’re talking about prayer in worship for our summer series, talking about prayer means addressing corporate (group) prayer, personal prayer, prayer habits, intercessional prayer, and everything in between. But we can’t talk about any of that until we remember that we are always welcome to pray. God invites us into the intimacy of prayer regardless of who we are, what we know, how often we pray, or if we even know what we’re saying. The much-quoted verse from Romans reminds us that in prayer, it’s not even about us – the Spirit takes what we say and makes it what it needs to be.
As we talk about why we pray in worship and what prayer means for our faith lives, I hope you’ll also take this insight to heart. You’re ready to pray right now. You don’t have to worry if you’re doing it right. There is no right way to pray. There is only direct connection between you and the God who loves you. There is only the will of God and the work of the church. There is only this moment, right now, when God welcomes you exactly as you are.
Pray.
God, I confess that I don’t always know how to pray, what to say, or if you’re listening. Today, I commit to answer your invitation to pray. Send your Spirit to give me the words I need and the space to listen. I praise you for this gift. Amen.
Carry On.
New habits work well when paired with other habits. If you want to pray more regularly, can you add a prayer to some other part of your day? Can you put words for a prayer on your mirror to pray when you brush your teeth? Can you keep a prayer list and put it by your computer so you start your work day with prayer? Try something new this week.