Prayer is one of the basic disciplines of the Christian life. It’s like brushing your teeth or combing your hair: a habit we don’t question because it’s so normal.
At least, that’s what it ought to be. In practice, Christians aren’t always very good at prayer. We struggle to find time; we wonder how to do it; we get discouraged when prayer seems dry and routine and there isn’t an emotional pay-off; we wonder if prayers are answered. We can do it at church (though how our minds wander if the person leading prayers goes on too long!) but when it comes to personal, private prayer, it’s another story. And when we’re constantly told how important prayer is, the guilt kicks in – ‘I really ought to be doing better than this,’ we think. Well, of course we should – but we could say the same of every part of our Christian life.
How do we cultivate a healthy relationship with prayer?
One answer might involve acknowledging that we aren’t always going to find the same patterns helpful. One person might be able to pray for half an hour at a time every day; another might be more at home with Nehemiah-type ‘arrow prayers’ as the need arises.
Some people might be very fluent, able to string coherent sentences together at the drop of a hat; others aren’t nearly as articulate, and need words written by others – maybe words of Scripture – to bring them into God’s presence. And some can be deeply conscious of the presence of God in their lives without very often creating space for a formal prayer time.
Sharing prayer
