“Let us pray” is a phrase I’ve grown up hearing. It’s the cue to close our eyes and boe our heads, and possibly put our hands together. I heard it a little at school and I’ve heard it growing up in church.
In the last few years, I have had the privilege to walk alongside Christians of many denominations and backgrounds. I have seen how they do prayer. Some bow their heads others look up. Some use lots if words, others not many. Some pray about big things, others pray about everything. Some stand, some kneel, some place hands together, some hold them in the air. Some pray inside, others go for walks. Some sing or pray in tongues, some quote scripture and soke speak from the heart. Some throw out a quick prayer when the situation needs it, others promise to pray later at their normal time.
None of these are wrong ways to pray. The only wrong way to pray is to pray for the sake of the people watching to make yourself look good. Prayer is first and foremost for God. Words, emotions, pictures – God hears them all.
I found myself thinking about this today. I reached the end of the day and was looking back and I hadn’t really set aside time to pray. I’d sat in silence for a bit but wasn’t consciously praying. I’d had coffee with some friends and daydreamer, but not specifically talking to God. I’d baked and said, “please, God, let the cake be cooked” but more as a habit than with any real feeling.
That’s unusual for me. And yet… while I was sitting in silence I was thinking about people I love. While I was drinking tea with friends, I was part listening to their conversation and part looking at the people walking by outside. And while I was baking I was thinking specifically of the people I was baking for and the circumstances that meant I wanted to bake for them.
There weren’t focused times of quiet, there weren’t words or scriptures. There were just my feelings, my compassion, my concern. And for God, that’s enough.
How do you pray? Do you set aside time? Do you ‘pray-as-you-go’? Do you speak? Do you cry? Do you kneel? Do you walk? It doesn’t matter what you do, what matters is that you do something.
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