The Versatility and Power of Prayer (Excerpt)
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I am still asking myself the question: Do I pray? I believe that the answer is, “I am learning how.”
I laughed when a talk show host recently asked a little girl performing back flips on her show, “How did you ever learn to do all of that?!” and the girl responded, out of breath, “Practice.”
The same goes for prayer. You may have heard prayer referred to as a “spiritual discipline” or a “spiritual practice.” I am learning that this is exactly what it is. Prayer takes both regular practice and discipline. Prayer is intentional spiritual reflection.
Whether planned or spontaneous, communal or solitary, prayer always has a beginning and an end and a purpose. To many of us, it does not come naturally. I used to not pray because I became hung up on whether or not someone or something was receiving my prayer and would respond. Then, I came to understand that this concern is unnecessary, that the prayer itself was the response. Each form of prayer is reciprocal. Each is about giving and about receiving.
In prayers of petition, we offer our hopes and receive hope in return. In prayers of contemplation, we give away our haughtiness and receive love and connection. In prayers of wonder and awe, we give our praise and receive beauty. In prayers of prophetic witness, we give our hearts and receive justice and solidarity. And, in prayers of thanksgiving, we give our gratitude and receive blessings.
And so, my prayer today is simply that we continue to find ourselves engaged in prayer and that, in prayer, we continue to find ourselves, each other, our world, and our Sacred Truth.
- The Versatility and Power of Prayer (Excerpt) - November 1, 2012
