Paths to Contemplation - 8

Chapter 3 - Contemplative Prayer

What is prayer?

    No Christian will doubt that prayer is an essential component of the devout life, but what is prayer and why is it important; and is one form of prayer better than another?  Most Christians, even those who are well-versed in their faith, will say that prayer involves talking to God.  We tell God we are sorry for our sins, the prayer of contrition.  Or we ask God for some favor for ourselves, the prayer of petition, or for others, the prayer of intercession.  Or we thank God for some favor received, the prayer of thanksgiving.  Or we praise God for his goodness and glory, the prayer of adoration.  In all of these forms of prayer, we are speaking to God, giving God some message that we want God to hear.

    Talking to God, of course, is not the only way in which we relate to God.  For example, if we want God to hear what we have to say to God, we must also be open to what God has to say to us.   We can listen to God through the study of Scripture, hearing the word preached at services or simply sitting quietly, trying to be attentive to the still, small voice of God.  Listening to God is as important and, arguably, a more important form of prayer than talking to God.  Too often we are quite adept at conveying our desires to God but are less willing to attend to God’s desires for us.

    So what is prayer?  Prayer, generally, is directing our thoughts, words and actions to God, orienting ourselves toward God in what we say, think and do.  This broader notion of prayer enables us to obey the Scriptural injunction to pray always. 

    Many times I have heard someone say that he or she does not have enough time to pray.  What they mean is that they are having trouble finding time for “formal” prayer, a time to read Scripture, or to recite prayers from a book, or simply to recount a list of intercessions for family and friends in need.  But there is nothing that prevents anyone from talking to God while at work or driving the kids to school.  Even verbal prayer does not have to be lengthy.  A short, “God, I love you,” or “Lord, protect my children through the day,” or, “God stand with me in this meeting that I might say and do what you would want me to say and do,” can be as, or more, effective, than a prolonged lecture directed at God.   But in addition to talking to God, we can make our actions into prayers by dedicating them to God, by orienting them and ourselves to God as we do them.

    For example, most people do not think of sleep as prayer, but adequate sleep is necessary for good physical and mental health.  The need for sleep is built into our bodies.  It is an integral part of being human, so it could not be sinful.  If sleep is not sinful, then it can become a prayer by our deliberately offering it to God.  On going to bed, we might well say, “Lord, I offer my sleep this night to you so that I might wake refreshed and better able to serve you tomorrow.”  That offering of our sleep to God, accepting God’s will that we should get adequate sleep, intentionally orienting our rest toward God, makes our sleep into prayer, even though we are not talking to God while we sleep.

    Again, prayer is directing our thoughts, words and actions to God, orienting ourselves toward God in what we say, think and do.  Every aspect of our lives can, and should, be prayer.