30 WAYS TO PRAY: DAY 6

Pray to Jesus Christ

While Stephen was being stoned, he cried out for Jesus to forgive those who were killing him (Acts 7:59). Jesus forgives. Thank Jesus for the cleansing that He holds out to you daily (Hebrews 10:14). Make the prayer very personal, for you can’t hide anything from Him anyway. Thank Him for specific things that He has forgiven and for specific ways that He has led you, especially by the example of His life here on Earth.

Sample: Jesus, my Saviour, thank You for being such a personal, loving, sacrificial God. Thank You for cleansing me of all impurities and presenting me as pure before the Father’s throne. Thank You for interceding for me, both while You lived on this earth and now that You are at God’s right hand. You know exactly what it’s like to live in this dark world, so Jesus, how should I deal with ____________?

30 WAYS TO PRAY: DAY 5

Pray to God the Father

Have you ever prayed in secret? During the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers to pray to the Father in secret (Matthew 6:6). Jesus Himself, while He walked on earth often withdrew by Himself to pray to His Father in heaven (Matthew 14:23). God is the perfect image of a father and He longs to spend time with His children. Out of all the names of God, “Abba” is the most intimate.  Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we too are able to call God “Abba”. Take some time with your perfect Father, laughing with Him, sharing joys and sorrows with Him, and asking Him (as Jehovah Jireh – the Lord who provides) for what you need. He wants your heart. He delights in you.

Sample: Dear Abba, Thank You for caring for me as Your own child. I praise You for being the Creator of all things, the King of all kings and the Most High God, Thank You for revealing Yourself to me as Dad. It’s so personal. Father God, You are so strong, capable of doing anything. Thank You for taking me on such an adventurous journey and for teaching me so much about this world that You have made. God, I want more than anything to spend time with You and have a conversation with You about anything and everything. Dear Abba, what shall we talk about?

30 WAYS TO PRAY: DAY 4

Pray through a parable

What is your favourite parable? Jesus used parables to convey what He wanted to say to the people and these messages were not meant only for the Israelites but still hold great meaning for us today. Choose one of your favourite parables of Jesus, read through it slowly and then ask God what implications that parable has on your life. Which character do you identify with? For example, when have you been rocky soil instead of good soil? How have you hidden the gifts that God has given to you instead of using them and harvesting the positive outcomes?

Sample: Caring God, please help me to be a Good Samaritan rather than a Levite. I want to stop and help those in need and give of myself for my neighbours, even the ones that I might not get along with. Please help me to not cast a blind eye on those who you have put in my path to help.

Experimenting with Prayer

 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11: 1).

 

When I was a little child, my parents taught me two prayers: at meals I was instructed to say, “Thank you for this food and drink for Jesus’ sake, Amen.” And at bedtime they would sing with me this little chorus:

 

Jesus, tender shepherd hear me, bless your little child tonight

Through the darkness be thou near me, keep me safe till morning light. Amen.

 

Gradually I “grew out” of these prayers and was simply encouraged to say my own “home-made” prayers at bedtime. I think they just assumed I would know how to do that. My prayers included asking forgiveness “for my many sins” (without naming any) and petitioning that my team would win the Stanley Cup (which they actually did in 1967, but they haven’t come close since). J

 

In other words, my prayer life was often relatively superficial, punctuated by occasional moments of deep intensity.

All of us -- at one time or another -- struggle with prayer.  As chaplain, I've learned that one common root of these struggles is that we aren't aware of how many different ways we can pray. Therefore, during the month of November, the Chaplaincy Team will send out a different way to pray every day, for thirty days.

We invite you to try these -- alone, in residences, in devotions to open class, in departmental devotions -- in all the places where prayer is part of our lives. They will be posted here each day (see the index to the right of this column).

 

About thirty years ago a friend challenged me to take a three day prayer retreat, and I did. After a brief introduction to the retreat, we were told to find a quiet place and spend three hours praying Psalm 23, all six verses of it! I completely panicked. How does one pray six verses for three hours?

 

Through those “Lord, teach me how to pray” hours of my life. I learned that:

 

·         When you offer God extended silences, he often shows up in unexpected ways.

·         There are hundreds of ways to pray, and the more aware we are of the “prayer-options,” the more we can choose forms of prayer that suit our personal temperaments and our particular season of life.

·         At the center, prayer is simply opening up our heart and bringing it to rest inside God’s heart.

 

Alison Krauss sings a hauntingly contemplative song called “Living Prayer,” which includes this simple chorus:  Take my life that I might be, a living prayer my God to Thee. That pretty much nails it.

We encourage you to try these different ways of praying.  We trust the Holy Spirit will bless your "prayer-experiments."

Peace,

The chaplaincy team:  Syd, Robb, Mark, Deb and Cam

30 WAYS TO PRAY:DAY 3

 Fixed hour prayer

           

 In some traditions monks will pray every three hours for half an hour; their entire day revolves around conversing with God. Today, set aside a specific time to pray. Make an appointment with God. If you had an appointment with someone, especially a very important person (say, the prime minister), you would not go and do something else instead (watch a movie, Facebook, etc.), but you would do everything in your power to make that appointment.

Sample: God, You have given me my time and have been gracious enough to let me fill it with work and leisure. Now, God, I am offering back to you some of the time that You have allotted to me. This next little bit is dedicated to You, God, and not anyone or anything else. You are ever present with me because I am important to You. You are important to me, God, so I’m here to spend time with You. I need you, but I am afraid of the silence. Teach me how to enter your presence and find rest.

30 WAYS TO PRAY: DAY 2

Pray through Scripture – Lectio Divina (divine reading)

Sometimes called “meditative prayer, “lectio divina” is a way to read a Bible text as a prayer. Choose a verse or set of verses and spend some time meditating on what they mean. Even if the passage is a familiar one, read it with new eyes. Focus in on the individual words.  See what God has to tell you, personally, through the words. Reread the passage a few times, going over it slowly, and take the time to open up your heart to what God will say to you through that passage. Settle down into the text, and make yourself at home in a particular phrase. Ask God what He wants you to learn/remember while you read.

Sample: Ephesians 3:17-19

            Proverbs 3:5-6

            Nehemiah 9:6

30 WAYS TO PRAY: DAY 1

 Prayer of Adoration

In the busyness of life we can enter a pattern whereby we come to God only when in a difficult situation. Today, let your prayers be focused on who God is and what he has done.  He is our Shepherd, our King, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Rock, our Provider, our Lover. He is in control. You can trust Him, because of who He is.

Sample: Holy One above all things, I come before You in awe. When I think about the things that You have done and how intricately You have made me and the universe, I am overwhelmed. No one but You can accomplish such incredible things and no one but You holds it all together so perfectly. You sustain us and gently take care of us. You, in Your wonderful glory, are worthy of so much more than the praise, honour and commitment that we give to You. You are God and there is no one equal to You.