Ways to Pray

   War Room, the latest faith-based film by the Kendrick brothers, highlights the importance of prayer.  Audiences across North America were shown how a family is transformed by humble prayer, done in one's closet.  The idea of praying in a secret place (an inner room or closet) is introduced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  This was a strong contrast to the prayer-as-public-performance that the Pharisees had popularized at that time.
   The movie War Room gives some guidance around how to pray.  Using prayers in Scripture and making them our own is helpful.  Specific requests that we record on paper can help us remain focused and we also feel encouraged when God acts in response to those prayers.  I wanted to share a few other ideas not shown in the movie which I know have been helpful to some people:

• Pray when folding laundry.  As you pick up an item, pray for the person it belongs to.  This can be a good way to pray for one's immediate family.
• Pray when doing sewing, knitting or crocheting.  These arts seem to be making a come back. The process of stitching can make us focus our thoughts in a way that sitting to watch TV never could.  If the item being crafted is intended for a particular recipient, prayers can be offered for that person. 
• Pray while colouring in an adult colouring book.  When you switch colours, you could pray for a new person.  I recently wrote names into the designs of some of the pages of my book.  As I add hues to each section, I lift a prayer for the person named there.
• Pray while falling asleep or when you wake up in the middle of the night.  Ask God to bring people to your mind who need His special care at that moment.
• Pray by writing in a journal.  Writing prayers to God works well for some people, but it is not for everyone.  If our prayers are about very personal things, we may be uncomfortable with the thought that they might be found and read by others some time in the future.  
• Read and speak the Psalms.  Become aware of the types of situations and needs fit with each Psalm and then use these to voice your praises, sorrows and requests for justice.

Please leave a comment if you know of another way to pray that is not mentioned here.