Welcome To Our Prayer Pages
This is the place where you can share in our community prayer
and also a place where you might ask
us to pray for you or a loved one.
Children growing up in a Christian environment generally learn the basics of prayer but there is no standardised way in which we are taught, and the level of our understanding probably varies from person to person.
Who can pray?
Anyone can pray. It’s that simple. No one is excluded from prayer. When I was a child, I learnt to say the Lord’s Prayer and the
catechism by rote (I was brought up in the Church of England tradition). If I am honest there were probably times as I stood in front of the person leading prayers, often the minister or Sunday School superintendent, when I thought I was praying to them, not God. A light bulb moment for me was when someone said to me that I could speak directly to God! To learn that anyone can pray, anyone can speak directly to God. We can pray alone or pray with others and he will listen. Wow!!!
‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.’ 1 John 5:14
Why do we pray and why is it important to pray?
We pray because we want a relationship with God that is real, two way and genuine. It is a way of us getting to know God better and for us to build our trust in Him. It is a space for us to be ourselves and to seek and gain guidance from Him.
What is prayer and how and where do we pray?
Importantly, it is a time that we can talk with God and focus on our relationship with Him. Prayer is one of the ways that we have a direct link to God. It is an opportunity for us to form and build on our relationship with Him. It is two way – an opportunity to tell God what is on our mind and in our hearts, but it is also a time for us to listen to God and a time for us to trust God and be open to His guidance. It is our special time with God where He can help us explore our faith. We can ask Him for help, give thanks and learn from Him.
‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Prayer can take an endless number of formats including silent prayer, signing prayer, vocalising prayer, praying aloud, writing down prayer and reading it out, singing prayer, drawing, or painting our prayers or even sculpting what we want to say. We do not all express ourselves in the same way. The list is endless. I recently spent some time looking at people’s different poses when they pray, only to find hundreds of different poses – hands together, hands raised up and waving in the air, groups of people holding hands (currently not recommended during the pandemic!). The list goes on. We can pray at any time, for a few minutes or a few hours. What is important is that we enter into prayer, coming to God completely, without distractions, our quiet time, giving it the importance that it requires to be a positive experience, for God and for us.
We are not born knowing how to pray. We must learn and practice. Even Jesus’ disciples asked Him for help.
‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”’ Luke 1:1
Consider where your prayer life is at currently and decide to make a few changes to improve it. Try a different format, or a change to the time/s when you pray. Help someone else to pray or support them to explore prayer more fully. An obvious starting point is the Lord’s Prayer. Here is a version from The Message:
Let us pray….
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best –
As above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Amen.
Kathy Shaw
