A Beginner's Guide To Prayer
Prayer, an age-old practice transcending time, culture, and religion, serves as a profound bridge between humanity and the divine. Whether through whispered words, silent meditations, or elaborate rituals, people across the globe have found solace, hope, and connection in their dialogues with a higher power. This act of communication with God is not merely a spiritual exercise but a deeply personal and transformative experience that enriches daily life. By exploring the multifaceted nature of prayer, from its meditative qualities to its ability to unite communities in times of crisis, we can appreciate its enduring significance and potential to foster inner peace and collective strength.
The Definition of Prayer
Prayer is the act of communicating with God. You talk to God, and God also talks to you. Prayer can take many forms. Some people kneel to pray, some clasp their hands, some raise their arms above their heads. People have prayed to various gods for thousands of years. There may be different reasons for or different methods of praying among different times, religions, and cultures, but the general idea is the same everywhere: People pray to commune with the divine, and they keep praying because it makes their lives better.?
Essentially, prayer is an act of meditation. It’s introspective, quiet, personal, and calming. When you make a habit of prayer, you’re also making a habit of meditation. Some people pray at specific times of the day, or before they have a meal. One practice that is particularly helpful for lots of people is nightly prayer. This, like a nightly meditation, clears the mind and helps you relax before sleep. So perhaps you can think about adding prayer to your bedtime routine.
Prayer can help you feel more grounded, remember the divine in your everyday life, be more grateful, and have more hope. It also has a way of bringing people together during times of crisis. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out worldwide in early 2020, people of all faiths designated days of prayer for a cure. People all over the world have prayed for Ukraine for the last six months since Russia’s invasion. Families pray when their loved ones are having surgery or other medical complications. Prayer gives people hope.
How to Pray
So you want to start praying, but how do you actually do it? Well, it’s as simple as talking to a higher power the same way you talk to your friend. You might feel strange at first, talking to something that you can’t see, especially if the idea of God is new to you. But that’s where faith comes in. You have to believe (or at least try to believe) that a higher power is really listening to you.
There is no prescribed way to pray. You don’t need to speak out loud if you don’t want to. It might be easier for you to write your prayers down instead of saying them, or you can just pray in your mind. There aren’t certain words you need to say or things you need to do. And if you’re trying to know what to pray about, nothing’s really off-limits. Some examples are:?
The most important thing is to pray in a way that you feel comfortable. Your personal prayer time is between you and God.
Two Prayer Templates
Even though there are no “prayer rules,” it’s still helpful to have a place to start when you’ve never prayed before. Having a reference can help immensely, especially if you’re nervous. One option is to say a prayer that’s already been written by someone else. Although the words aren’t technically your own, you can make them yours if you say them from your heart. Here’s a simple prayer that you can say:
oTo my higher power, thank you for giving me life. Thank you for keeping me safe, and please continue to watch over me. Thank you for giving me people who love and support me. I ask that you help me find my purpose and live it. Help me notice who needs my help.
You can also look at this prayer index for the common prayers of major religions.
Another option is to follow a more loose prayer template, filling in your own words along the way. In the following template, we used some of the suggestions from the previous section on what to pray about:?
Two Guided Prayers
If prayer still feels daunting to you, you might like using the Skylight app. It’s designed to make prayer natural and easy for you, but still just as meaningful. Most Skylight exercises involve prayer in some form or another, but some provide a specific framework for prayer. We’ve outlined two of them for you.
A Prayer of Gratitude with Kelly Boys (4 minutes)
In this video, you’ll be guided to say a simple prayer of gratitude. Kelly Boys shares her experience and gives you an example of a prayer of gratitude. She says, “As you say this prayer of gratitude, can you also consider what it would be like to live your life in this way? Where you're noticing moment to moment, the bird song, the trees, the beautiful connections that are in your life. Even if it's a small moment with a cashier at a store. What would it be like to consider living this prayer? You might have an image of yourself living a prayer of gratitude for the rest of the day, for the rest of the week. Feel free to carry this meditation practice with you into your life. And let it change you.”
Contemplative Prayer with Thomas McConkie (11 minutes)
In this video, Thomas McConkie will guide you in a traditional contemplative prayer, which involves using a “sacred word,” such as peace or love, that brings you back to stillness and back to God. He says, “When awareness contracts on an object, a thought, a sound, a sensation, which it will inevitably, no need to fret whatsoever. A distraction, in this practice, is just another opportunity to return to God. Gently hold the intention to consent to the presence and action of God. The mind naturally forms thoughts, forms images, interpreting experience moment to moment. If you become aware of a thought, an image, sound, bring up the sacred word, consenting again to this divine presence, which is too subtle for any human faculty to perceive.”
Conclusion
In essence, prayer is a versatile and deeply personal practice that can be adapted to fit any individual's needs and beliefs. Whether reciting a traditional prayer, following a guided template, or engaging in spontaneous conversation with a higher power, the act of prayer offers a unique opportunity for introspection, gratitude, and spiritual growth. It is a testament to the human spirit's enduring quest for connection and meaning, providing comfort and hope in both ordinary and extraordinary times. By embracing prayer in its many forms, we can cultivate a more mindful, grateful, and hopeful approach to life, enriching our personal journey and strengthening our bonds with others.