I am certain many of you reading this article have prayed before. After all, if we really are children of God, it is reasonable that we have an innate desire to communicate with God, which seems to be most effectively achieved through prayer.
I believe our Creator deeply wants to hear from us, to have our inner longings expressed by us in whatever ways we can manage, yet it seems some people manage better than others. Prayer flows from the mouths of some people with relative ease. They pray all the time. When given the chance, they volunteer to pray in public. Prayer meetings excite them. Even though I am a pastor, I cannot relate to those people.
My prayer life has always been a struggle. I try to pray but end up thinking about what is airing on television. I close my eyes but end up falling asleep. I briefly tell God about my day but am not sure what else to say. I don’t use fancy, church words, because I don’t have them in my vocabulary. I ask God for a favor but feel a little guilty because it has been a while since we last spoke.
Whether your prayer life is healthy or needs an occasional B-12 shot like mine, I’ve discovered something of which every praying individual needs to be aware: prayer books.
What is a prayer book? A prayer book is a book of written prayers from the religious community to which you belong that is meant to aid in the spiritual discipline of prayer.
Prayer books are not new. The book of Psalms in the Bible is a prayer book that has helped Jews and Christians pray for over two millennia. Many of the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, first written in 1549, are now etched in the hearts of Anglican Church members. Within my own Presbyterian tradition, we have both the Book of Common Worship, published in 1993, and The Worshipbook, published in 1970. Both of these books include written prayers I often use as my own when I take time to pray, either privately or corporately. There are also new prayer books being published. I recently purchased a prayer book published in 2006 that is titled Simple Prayers for Complicated Lives.
I find it helpful to slowly read through the words found within my prayer books. When I pray the words on the written pages, I feel as if I am no longer struggling to communicate with God on my own. With my prayer books I have a spiritual partner strengthening me, encouraging me, and giving me the words I have longed to express to God.
Some of you may read this and think, “But what is wrong with praying from the heart? Isn’t it a little shallow to use someone else’s words as your own in a prayer?” Praying from the heart is a wonderful and valid avenue to communicate with God, but the heart can be, at times, a selfish place. I often find when I pray from the heart I only pray about things affecting myself and my own little corner of the world. My prayer books have forced me to pray for people, places, and events I never would have thought of otherwise.
In my prayer books there is a prayer to be said when it rains, and a prayer for children who have homework to finish. There is a prayer to be said during a national crisis or during an election. There are prayers for addicts, prisoners, and those who have been raped or assaulted. There are prayers for city people and country folk. There is a prayer for a pet who has died. There are prayers for mechanics, waitresses, teachers, prostitutes, and the unemployed. There are prayers for daily tasks we think God doesn’t care about like writing checks, doing laundry, watching television, or reading the newspaper. Believe it or not, there is even a prayer for those who write prayers!
Whether you love to pray or find prayer to be burdensome, prayer books can open you up to a new way of praying, and ultimately to a closer union with God. I encourage you to try one.
I want to conclude with a prayer I have come to love. It says, “O Lord! If I worship you from fear of Hell, cast me into Hell. If I worship you from desire for Paradise, deny me Paradise. But if I worship you for your own sake then withhold not from me your Eternal Beauty.” I don’t know who wrote that prayer, but I’m glad someone did and put it in a book. I never would have come up with those beautiful words on my own.
The Rev. Adam J. Rodgers is pastor of Stoneboro Presbyterian Church.
Religion
If prayer turns into a struggle sometimes, try a prayer book
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