Out of all the different spiritual practices, prayer is probably my weakest. I’m pretty good at just talking with God, when a concern arises I’m good about praying on the spot for that thing, but beyond that I struggle. I’m a youth leader and I don’t like praying in group settings. I am not comfortable being as open and vulnerable as I usually am during my personal prayer times and this leads to me struggling with what to say. As I’ve struggled to find ways to improve my prayer life I have found several things that have helped. In honor of the National Day of Prayer I thought I would share a few things I have found that have helped me in my prayer life.
1. Journaling: When I was a teenager I really struggled with private prayer times. I would get distracted too easily and after 30 seconds my mind would wander someplace else. My mentor at the time suggested I journal my prayers. I already was journaling for other purposes, so I started to journal my prayers. It really helped me keep focused, and it’s great to be able to look back and see where my prayers were answered, how God was working in my life then, etc. I don’t journal as prayer nearly as much, but I find when there is a lot weighing on me it’s a great way to bring it all together.
2. Prayer Book: I’m reformed. We don’t have many (any?) sort of daily prayers, but my college professor was a huge advocate of using prayer books. I picked up a book and have found that it’s one of the best ways for me to pray when I have nothing to say. Usually I end up adding on my own words after the prayer. But there are just some days that the last thing I am feeling able to do is pray, and having something to use in those moments helps keep me praying.
3. Praying the Psalms: I found this incredibly awkward at first. It didn’t feel like a prayer when I would read a Psalm. But the more I have done it the more I like it. Now I use this every morning to start the day. I think in our culture today we have a problem with finding the words to really praise and glorify God. The Psalmists use some wonderful language, and are brutally honest.
4. Taize: They have free podcasts available that are about 10 minutes long. They are great for meditative worship and really provide a great framework for prayer because they are so intentional about incorporating various elements. Some people I have talked to find it boring and slow, but I find it forces me to slow down when I would otherwise rush through.
What things do you do that have helped you in your prayer life?
