Top 3 Prayer Tips

I’ve been on my prayer journey for 4 days now and I’ve learned a few things.  If you didn’t hear the talk I did on this make sure you listen to it

1 – This kind of prayer works

I grew up with prayer that was done on a formula.  You started with saying, “Dear God.”  Then you would say good things about God, then ask for what you need, and then, and this was very important, you would say, “In Jesus’ name Amen.”  You couldn’t skip the Jesus name part because then it wouldn’t work?  And I put a question mark here because I’m not sure if this was the reason because it would go against much of the other beliefs people taught about prayer (eg. God already knows what you want so prayer doesn’t matter, God will do what God wants to do, you can’t make God do anything, etc.).  So I’m not sure why you had to have that line but that’s what I was taught so that’s how I prayed.

But honestly, over time, and with life experience, my prayer life dried up.  Really, it was because I, personally, didn’t see prayer working that well.  Again, I’m not sure if the goal of prayer was ever really clearly articulated but it didn’t seem to work.  I’d ask God to heal someone… nothing.  But then someone would say, “hey God did this thing over here.”  So maybe I was doing it wrong.  Or maybe I was praying for the wrong things.

And when people thanked God for the parking spots they got at Christmas at the malls and kids were dying of starvation, I really started to question, “What is God doing up there?”

After some family tragedies I didn’t get mad and stop praying, but I found myself connecting less and less to the type of prayers that were asking God to change things in my world.

I watched people like my mom get great comfort by these kinds of prayers, so I don’t think they are wrong, I’m a little jealous of people who can do them, but they weren’t working for me anymore.

But after learning that there were more kinds of prayers than the kind where you ask God to do something in this world, and after learning that “logicing” your way to a Thin Place doesn’t fit with how our brains work, I started to talk to God in a new way…

And its working!!!  I feel something More than I did before.  What that More is and how it works, I’m not totally sure, but something is shifting in my and I like the direction it is going.

So my learning is – This works!!!

2 -Don’t ask for God to fix, just talk about what you experience

As I’ve been praying these last few days, trying to create a new neural pathway that will help me connect to something More, I’ve noticed something:

When I just talk about my life, and direct that narrative to God (remember, you can direct this to anything at all, it just needs to be More than you <Grin>) it works to make me feel connected.  But my old way of praying, asking God to fix stuff, often creeps in I find and something happens to the connection I feel.  It goes to that logical place where I start thinking, “I wonder if God would even do that?”  “Are there more important things for God to do?”  And on and on until I’m in my logical brain and not building that connection to God/divine/More than.  So for me, the new rule is, stay with sharing my memories and thoughts, but stay away from requests for change.

3 – Thinking about God doesn’t work as well as doing something with God

I’m back to my first point, with an added focus.  I spend more time than most people thinking about God, reading about God, discussing God.  But that doesn’t help me feel connected to God.

So spiritual practices are important for me.  I need to do prayer, and not just talk about prayer.

Examples of how people pray

I’ve talked with a bunch of people on this new style of prayer and here are some ways people are doing it:

Gratitude

Writing in a journal (to the journal gods <Grin>)

Being present with their kids and letting that moment open them up to something More

I’ve been talking about the people in my life.  Just sharing stories and feelings about them.

I’ve talked with logical people that have being doing a practice that helps them stay connected to God through reading their Bible

I’ve talked with limbic system people who don’t connect with God much at all.

It seems to be that everyone has a different way that works for them.  And is there anything more Friends Church than that? (check out our article on it)

So I’m going to keep praying.  And praying in a way that gets around my logical brain.  Why?  Because its working for me.  Me and God are feeling things again.  And I’ve missed that.

This is the heart of what we call creating Thin Places.