Prayer is a funny thing. Some days it seems as natural as breathing. Others days it seems as difficult as learning a new language. Spent many years of my life trying to discover the "right" way to pray. I would "try out" different types of prayer, only to find that after using a specific type of prayer for a while it would loose my interest or would no longer resonate with me. As this cycle continued my frustration grew, until I no longer wanted to pray because I couldn't pray the "right" way.
After sometime I came to realize that there is no "right" way to pray. In fact, when it comes to prayer there are literally hundreds of ways to pray. Prayer is intentional communication with God. It is expressing ones thoughts, feelings, and longings to God as well as listening for God's still small voice or being open to a kick in the pants. With this in mind the ways we express ourself are as varied as each individual.
I admit that I still struggle with the listening aspect of prayer. I struggle to discern if the "voice" I'm hearing is God's or mine. I struggle to quiet my racing thoughts enough to really truly hear what God is saying. There are tools I use to help me in my quest to hear God's voice. The one I turn to most frequently is visualization prayer (I wrote about this type of prayer in a previous post-you can find that post here). This is one area where I want to grow so I can more fully experience God's grace and healing love. I'd love to hear your stories about listening for God voice in your prayer practice.
In future posts I will share with you types of prayer. Are there types of prayer you would like to know more about? What types of prayer are you curious about? Is there a type of prayer you've been wanting to try but feel apprehensive about? What are your favorite ways to pray?
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