First one must understand that the very desire to pray is a prayer. Prayer begins with lifting up one’s heart and mind to God. As St. Teresa once said, “It is a conversation between friends.”
That being said, it often feels like a monologue on our part than a chit chat with God. This is a common experience in prayer. But we should not be discouraged. God is not deaf to our prayers. He does hear us.
Let’s try to understand prayer for a moment. It’s an event more than it is words or gestures. It’s an encounter between us and the Beloved. We being our prayer with the belief that we are in the presence of the Beloved and are love by him. This is called remote preparation for prayer. It’s very spontaneous and takes a second or two, but it is a very powerful reminder to ourselves.
I would also suggest that you keep your prayer simple. If you’re an auditory person, you may want to set the environment for prayer with music that inspires you. Forget what it does or does not do for others. we have to remember that grace builds on nature. Whatever helps us to block out the world should be used for prayer. Not all of us respond to the same stimulus.
Let us also remember that we are emotional creatures. Feelings do play an important part in our life of prayer at the beginning. Gradually, their importance decreases. It’s OK to use our emotions to jump-start our life of prayer, especially when we feel that we are praying against a brick wall.
If you have time, one of the most wonderful ways to pray is to read from a passage of scripture or the lives of the saints and write a few thoughts that describe your feelings and answer the question “Where is God leading me?”
This often helps us to speak to God about something that is meaningful to us.
I would also suggest that you pray with the Church, if you don’t already do so. Purchase a breviary. Christian Prayer is easy to use and is the official prayer of the Church. It is also liturgy. You’re not praying alone. You’re praying as the Church prays round the clock in every corner of the Earth and you are engaging in true liturgical prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours is as much liturgy as is the mass.
Bear in mind that requires silence. We must learn to sit and wait for God. Sometimes a simple prayer followed by a walk is the most effective way to enter into God’s presence.
Our holy father Francis often prayed by writing. He also sang. His favorite prayer was to sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and say nothing, but just look at his friend.
I hope some of this is useful.
Fraternally,
JR
