How many years have you been praying?
I mean, consciously and confidently praying in the manner that was taught to you. It probably depends on how you learned and who you learned it from.
I first remember praying when I was about 6 or 7. Kneeling by my bedside, repeating the Lord's Prayer, I probably made up words that I did not actually remember or understand. And, I may have learned part of how to do it from TV shows. It was, and still is, comforting to see scenes of mom and dad kneeling with their children by the bed and talking to God. Like those children, I most likely asked for toys, like the newest Barbie, or, later on, clothes, a boyfriend, or that my dad would not find out about what I did last Saturday night.
The bottom line here is that the nature of the praying started with what I was taught or otherwise internalized. And it grew with me.
Prayer has now morphed into something that you can search on the Web, like everything else. There is even a wikiHow for "How to Pray". It defines prayer based on the definition fron Merriam-Webster, and I quote, that says "To pray is to make a request in a humble manner." How and where did Merriam-Webster get that definition? Maybe the compilers were borne of the same background that I was.
At least the wikiHow author goes on to add other elements of what he thinks of as proper prayer: take the time, find a location, assume the position, prepare your prayer, begin the prayer...oops, then he says 'make the request'.
Why, I ask, does it always have to involve a request? Why can't we just commune and let God show us His way? After all, He is the one in control. Only He knows the Divine Plane. How presumptuous of us to think that we even know what to ask for.
Today, I sat in church for the first time in over a month. Too many issues and problems floating around in my consciousness, both mine and those of my friends and others, for me to even grasp and hang onto a prayer in the form of a request.
Thankkfully for me, I had arrived early. The church was practically empty and the music had not started yet. Relevant calm pervailed.
I took out my rosary and kneeled. I crossed myself. I started reciting Hail Marys as I moved bead by bead. I always forget how 'exactly' to "pray the Rosary" and the only way I know how to do it the right way is to use a website (yep, sad but true!) to remind me of the proper steps and Mysteries. At home, or in the chapel, this might be acceptable. But, not in church. So I improvised. I don't really think God, or Mary, minds. As long as I am praying.
I fell into a meditative state after a few minutes and the "prayers" just started flowing. Interesting that they weren't requests, or questions. It was simply the images of those people in my life, the friends and family with whose issues I am most familiar and the friends with whom I had spoken the past few weeks. Attached with those images (attached is really not accurate, but it is the only word I can come up with right now), without any conscious thought on my part, was one issue related to that person. Some of those who floated by I know have more than one serious issue; but only one, I presume the most important issue and the one God wanted me to keep in mind, issue came to mind.
Miraculous! This went on for about 5 or 6 minutes.
And then it was over, leaving me with an inner sense of satisfaction, fulfillment. PEACE!
I have been to many Bible studies, and some prayer groups. Always these are focused around requests and questions. I am not insinuating that this approach is wrong. Who am I to say what is right and what is wrong for others?
I guess what I am presenting is another perspective. That perhaps in just sticking with the simple concept that originated with making the Lord the focus of our life, that the prayers that have survived centuries, the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary, might work in conjunction with that concept and allow us to commune and "pray" the way it was originally intended.
Funny thing, with everything that has bombarded me, and continues to bombard me even now, not one of those images included me. The only things I take from that are that the Lord has me in the palm of His hand and, I hope, that my friends and family are praying for me. No need to pray for myself.
