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I opened up our prayer time this week talking about the first time I prayed. Do you remember the first time you prayed?
When I was about 5 we went to stay with my grandmother for a few weeks. During conversation she talked about praying to God. I took that to heart and that night started just talking with God. I did that for a few nights and brought it up to her one day and she said, "No, honey. We just can't pray like that. You have to pray the proper way."
So, my dear old grandma both started and killed my early prayer life. But, nonetheless, the experience stuck with me and today a lot of my prayers are simply "talking with God."
After all, prayer takes many forms and simple, childlike "talking" with God is a great way to pray. Now, as most of you know, I employ several ways of prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours, Adoration of the Lord before the Holy Eucharist, the Rosary, the Jesus Prayer, the Our Father and other vocal prayers and will soon start learning contemplative prayer.
Having read The Practice Of The Presence Of God I find simple conversative prayer a perfectly acceptable thing to do. Have you read this Christian classic? Do you just talk to God, too, gentle reader?
3 comments:
Tim - good question! I have prayed since I was about 9 or 10. I would just talk to God in my head. I would ask Him to let my parents divorce. Imagine that! But truly it was awful listening to my father yelling at my mother. Anyway, I got what I wanted.
I was watching Little House on the Prairie one day when I was about 11 and I think it was Mary that said to Laura "don't ask for anything for yourself, it's only right to pray for others." That has always stuck in my head!
Later in life I learned to pray the Rosary and I fell in love with Adoration and the Mass.
In the past few weeks I received healing that started at a Charismatic Healing Mass - my prayers are different now. I think I know Jesus for the first time in my life.
I've been talking with God since as far back as I can remember.
At various points in my life I let outside influences tell me that it was wrong, or that God required more 'reverence in prayer', but though there is certainly a place for more ordered prayer, my heart talks to God every day, whether I'm washing the dishes, driving in the car, burying my face in my hands with exasperation or whatever.
thought provoking post
I don't remember when I first prayed, I alwasy remember doing so. Funny coming from a non-religous upbringing. I always did though.
What I thought was funny is that during homeschool lessons this week my daughter's "Faith & Life" book talked just about this. How praying takes on many forms. And how sometimes just looking at sunset and seeing its beauty and reveling in the beauty of God's creation is prayer. And the good Lord knows, everytime I look at my family I am awed by his power! So I guess I pray a lot!
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