WHAT IS PRAYER
By Definition it is the active effort to communicate with a higher being, deity or spirit. It is documented that the act of praying dates back 5000 years ago. Makes you wonder who was around then to do that.
Prayer to me is talking to God, whether it’s asking for his help, his forgiveness, his strength, his wisdom or his guidance. It’s communicating with him, “hey God, are you there, it’s me; and I need you to listen.”
Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts; morning and evening prayers, Grace said over meals; there is the bowing of heads and folding of hands. Native Americans dance, Hindu chant. Jewish prayer involves swaying back and forth and bowing. There are those that kneel, lay prostrate on the ground and some are just silent.
There are people who go on and on when praying that you might lose track of what they were praying about to begin with. And then there are prayers that are short and simple.
There are prayers that are rigid and structured, which is what I grew up with in the Catholic Church. The Our Father, the Hail Mary, The Apostles Creed and many others. Back in 2011 the Vatican decided to update the Apostles Creed to make it more accurate. I wasn’t a fan of the changes, because when you have memorized something when you were a child and then as an adult have to relearn it, it takes a while for your brain to relearn the new wording.
There are religions that use prayer beads, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and the Baha’i faith (they actually use their beads to recite a prayer 95 times a day). The Catholics pray a Rosary, once again repetitive structured prayers. My Aunt prayed hers everyday, she also went to Mass everyday when she could. I did not. I didn’t have a Rosary with me at the time, but when my husband nearly died on me 6 years ago I mentally prayed that Rosary and every other prayer I could think of on the 13 hour drive home. I was on a girls trip for a friends birthday. Fortunately, my girlfriends did all the driving and I prayed. I became a true believer in the power of prayer that night, because he survived something he shouldn't have. Between the three of us calling family and other friends and they in turn calling upon others to pray Steve, he was on prayer chains all across the country. So like I said, I’m a true believer in the power of prayer.
Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything and if you have faith, you will receive it.
Prayer is all around us and we don’t even realize it. It’s even in music. Have you ever heard Carrie Underwood sing Jesus Take The Wheel, take it from my hands, cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go so give me one more chance and save me from this road I’m on.
This song actually came up on my playlist when I was driving across Montana the first year of Covid. I was traveling with my niece to Seattle where we had to empty her campus apartment because the University wasn’t re-opening for the fall semester, they had closed the campus at Spring break and sent everyone home, thinking they would all be back in class after a few weeks. We all know how that went. Anyway, I was in a rental vehicle (a mini van) not something I was used to driving and let me tell you there are some mountains out there that pretty scary and I prayed for Jesus to take the wheel a few times and for our brakes not to fail.
Another song that comes to mind when I think about praying is called The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. I pray you’ll be our eyes and watch us where we go, help us to be wise in times when we don’t know. Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way, lead us to a place, guide us with your grace to a place where we’ll be safe.
When we pray we are usually praying for things, like good health, the food before us, a loved one, someone who has lost their way. We pray for rain and we pray to be spared from bad storms. The list of things we pray for is endless.
Psalms 145:18-19
18)The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
19) He grants the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cries for help and rescues then.
Matthew 7:7-8
7) Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will open to you.
8) For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Thank you everyone for joining me this morning and I pray that you all have a very blessed week.
Let us pray…
Prayer to me is talking to God, whether it’s asking for his help, his forgiveness, his strength, his wisdom or his guidance. It’s communicating with him, “hey God, are you there, it’s me; and I need you to listen.”
Various spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of devotional acts; morning and evening prayers, Grace said over meals; there is the bowing of heads and folding of hands. Native Americans dance, Hindu chant. Jewish prayer involves swaying back and forth and bowing. There are those that kneel, lay prostrate on the ground and some are just silent.
There are people who go on and on when praying that you might lose track of what they were praying about to begin with. And then there are prayers that are short and simple.
There are prayers that are rigid and structured, which is what I grew up with in the Catholic Church. The Our Father, the Hail Mary, The Apostles Creed and many others. Back in 2011 the Vatican decided to update the Apostles Creed to make it more accurate. I wasn’t a fan of the changes, because when you have memorized something when you were a child and then as an adult have to relearn it, it takes a while for your brain to relearn the new wording.
There are religions that use prayer beads, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and the Baha’i faith (they actually use their beads to recite a prayer 95 times a day). The Catholics pray a Rosary, once again repetitive structured prayers. My Aunt prayed hers everyday, she also went to Mass everyday when she could. I did not. I didn’t have a Rosary with me at the time, but when my husband nearly died on me 6 years ago I mentally prayed that Rosary and every other prayer I could think of on the 13 hour drive home. I was on a girls trip for a friends birthday. Fortunately, my girlfriends did all the driving and I prayed. I became a true believer in the power of prayer that night, because he survived something he shouldn't have. Between the three of us calling family and other friends and they in turn calling upon others to pray Steve, he was on prayer chains all across the country. So like I said, I’m a true believer in the power of prayer.
Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything and if you have faith, you will receive it.
Prayer is all around us and we don’t even realize it. It’s even in music. Have you ever heard Carrie Underwood sing Jesus Take The Wheel, take it from my hands, cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go so give me one more chance and save me from this road I’m on.
This song actually came up on my playlist when I was driving across Montana the first year of Covid. I was traveling with my niece to Seattle where we had to empty her campus apartment because the University wasn’t re-opening for the fall semester, they had closed the campus at Spring break and sent everyone home, thinking they would all be back in class after a few weeks. We all know how that went. Anyway, I was in a rental vehicle (a mini van) not something I was used to driving and let me tell you there are some mountains out there that pretty scary and I prayed for Jesus to take the wheel a few times and for our brakes not to fail.
Another song that comes to mind when I think about praying is called The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. I pray you’ll be our eyes and watch us where we go, help us to be wise in times when we don’t know. Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way, lead us to a place, guide us with your grace to a place where we’ll be safe.
When we pray we are usually praying for things, like good health, the food before us, a loved one, someone who has lost their way. We pray for rain and we pray to be spared from bad storms. The list of things we pray for is endless.
Psalms 145:18-19
18)The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
19) He grants the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cries for help and rescues then.
Matthew 7:7-8
7) Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will open to you.
8) For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Thank you everyone for joining me this morning and I pray that you all have a very blessed week.
Let us pray…
Recent
Archive
Categories
no categories