What's the point of prayer?
The deepening of prayer, by the Revd Paul Hunt, Diocesan Spirituality Adviser.
(Read about the 3 priorities here)
"What's the point of it anyway?"
"To be honest I just don't do it"
"It doesn't work for me - I tried it once..."
Maybe these are a few unspoken responses as you read this article.
But wait a moment - perhaps some do 'pray' more than they think, like the writer of this poem:
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass,
How to be idle and blessed,
How to stroll through the fields which is what I've been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?"
(Mary Oliver).
That word, attention, says something. Think of a parent with a young child, needing to listen to its needs in a selfless kind of way, one moment cooking a meal and the child clamouring for a drink. Or in the work-related meeting, you are trying to listen to another's point of view; really listening to what is said, rather than thinking of the point you want to share.
I remember feeling quite disorientated and unsettled in my own life, and trying to pray was a real struggle. Someone whom I went to see for help said to me: "Why not deepen what you already have?" This was good advice. I didn't need to find a new or different way to pray. I already had something from my own experience and needed to return to that in my contact with God.
photo Will Jupe
And yet there is also something about trying new ways. As someone said to me the other day about their small business enterprise: "once you've got a model, don't think its there for life". This is where someone else can help us, maybe our vicar, or a Christian friend. In the diocese we have a Spiritual Direction network and if you contact Bob Hale (email: Tel: 01562 861270) he could help you to find a spiritual guide / mentor with whom you could meet from time to time.
Two things make prayer difficult for me. I can become too busy and it is nearly always time with God that gets left out. Also I can prefer to stay in my 'comfort zone' where I don't have anyone to challenge me, and its nice to feel comfortable!
This is where we need to 'risk' something for God. Here are several suggestions. Why not try to find one or two others to meet with to pray? Or you could join an already existing group in a local church. Also you can decide to spend an extra 5 minutes a day being with God, but without an agenda (not as easy as it may appear!).
And finally here's a 'risky' prayer to start the day with: 'Lord, use me today'. Who knows where that prayer will lead you?! Try it and see.
