How Do You Pray?

My mom has a prayer list that she uses. I just tell God that He knows who all I'm thinking about. My praying consists of just "talking" to God like He's my friend. I don't try to make mine sound like the ones the ministers do in church.

God knows what's in your heart. You don't have to remember 100 names.

Dawn

My son gave the best answer for this on Sunday morning.
I had the overwhelming urge to pray for everyone because of the weather that was coming that day. The kids were playing a video game in the living room and I went and told them we needed to pray for all of our family, friends, homes, jobs, and vehicles. We did get on our knees, and I prayed out loud while the kids prayed silently. I usually pray quietly, so it feels a little funny doing it aloud. So later that night I told my son that I was so glad we had prayed because my brother's community was hit HARD by the tornado, but he was safe and so was his home and the church.
My son said "Mom, I always talk to God like I do the rest of my friends."
What a profound statement, and exactly the way we should talk to God. He is our friend after all.

For me, prayer is how I commune with God. It is when I willingly open my heart to God's voice and am listening. It is an effort to quiet my ego, and to feel Love and Truth within. It is surrendering to God's Will.

It is when I am able to (or am trying to) let go and Trust.

I have prayed while diving under the ocean. I have prayed while holding hands with strangers. I have prayed in quiet rooms, on my hands and knees. I have prayed through burned letters, spoken words, in thought, and with melody or rhythm. I have prayed in churches, on sandy beaches and under the whispering forest. I have prayed in temples thick with incense and over the dinner table. I see God in the lullaby a mother sings to her infant, and or in the words we give to an injured friend. God is in the exchange of rice, in our willings to help another, and when we see another human's True self.

I believe God is always listening and always present. God is larger than language, ritual, tradition and culture (though those are all (IMHO) mechanisms of God and ways that I can feel close to God). God is always present and listening, and God will not abandon me.

I am not always present or listening, and I have, at times, abandoned myself. I can be on my knees but still be empty of Love, or I can be folding laundry and filled with Love. In my mind, it's not how it looks (though it's wonderful to have and share practices that remind us and join us in what is Greater than and in ourselves), it's how it feels and what we choose to do with it.

Like you, if I had to wait till I could be still and quiet, I would rarely pray, nor share prayer with my children. Instead, I try to pray and be reminded of God as often and with as many people as possible.

Thanks for the question.

God knows what is on your heart at all times. You don't have to speak a name in a prayer for him to know who/what you are praying for. Its much deeper than that. I think.

I would suggest though that you keep a journal and write things/people down that you want to pray for. Or else, when someone pops in your head/heart then just say a little prayer for them at that time.

I myself am a forgetter. Is that a word? Anyway, I pray at different times, hardly ever on my knees. I pray in the shower, in bed, in the car, on a walk, I also pray when I see a funeral procession. You get the picture. And if I forget someone one time I'll pray for them next time. I have often thought of writing it down but I never have. No matter when or where we pray, we are praying, and that is good.

Why bother writing it down? Why not just say a little prayer whenever the need occurs to you?

I pray in bed, while doing dishes, while driving, while working in the garden, sitting on the couch, and even in the bathroom. I can not find a quiet time to pray when I won't be interrupted. God made the whole family institution. He knows how difficult it is for a mom to have a complete thought. I believe that just the thoughts themselves are heard when our heart is right.

I really like using the Windows 7 notes features. I make notes where I put prayer needs and type out prayers and pair them up with appropriate scripture. I'll pray over those note cards and use them for reference. From time to time I wipe them all out and start again.

I do feel bad too if I forget to pray. So I say a quick prayer anytime someone comes to my mind.

I agree! Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how much I feel the desire to pray for too!! Like you, I almost always have a prayer in my head/heart during the day. The amazing thing is that the Lord already knows what's in our thoughts and heart. Prayer is a form of expressing our faith that He is listening and will hear and answer our prayers. He already knows what we want and need...prayer is just our part in "knocking" at the door. So i would just continue your heartfelt prayers, remembering what you can, but I definitely wouldn't feel guilty or that ifyou skip someone that their needs won't be noticed.

I look at God as someone I have a relationship with, its one of faith, one that I'm not always good at ;), but He is there. ( always )
My 'prayer' is me talking and listening , just like I would talk to anyone. I just talk. I may get into a space where I'm alone and have this conversation with Him, but I just talk ( and try to listen back ) . Of course that helps too. I don't have to bow my head or put my hands together in prayer, thats great to do yes but basically I just simply talk to Him. Thats what prayer is to me.

Personally, I think God doesn't mind if we talk to him on our knees, laying in bed, or standing in the shower. I usually pray at night before bed and in the morning before the day starts, but I definitely forget to include people sometimes. When I remember, I pray on the spot..even if I'm cleaning out the cat litter at the time. :)

Hi mama-

Years ago...before I had my twins...I prayed 'religiously' (lol...pun intended) always for specific people and their special intentions.

As you may know, one of my twins was critically ill from birth...hospitalized for a long time...many surgeries...and not expected to live. SHE changed the way I pray! My prayer became (and still is) for me...and all those I love...to have the strength to deal with our challenges...whatever they may be...

It has served me well...and those I love (and I) have had some pretty BIG challenges.

I also have a small rosary bead strand hanging from my 'rear view' mirror. I spent MANY hours in DC traffic...and that was a gentle reminder to make thoughtful use of that time.

Best Luck!
Michele/cat

Like most people here, I pray quite often during the day. Now, I am not a person who goes to church or has structured religion but I was raised with and continue to have God in my life as I do believe. I have taught my kids a little of God - as they grow, they learn more, like I did - and each night, we have our nightly prayers right before bed. Right now, God is still a new concept for them, however, my son is starting to learn the "anytime talk" that I do. We have two standard prayers that we say and as needed, one of them gets changed to fit the daily circumstance.

Me however, I talk to God all day long. I do not think that it must be at specific times of day - I think that God listens all the time. There was a time when I was in my 20's that I think it was months between times that I talked/prayed but in all, God was always there...in me, waiting. As I got older, the more I talked and shared.

I can't tell you how many times I pray a day - they are short prayers because yes, I do remember those I "missed" and then I send up a thought/prayer. God gets them.

I have a running dialogue with the lord...when something pops up, I address it with him. I don't let prayer keep me in a box, it's a continuous thing daily.

i have formal prayers that i do during specific rituals, but for the most part i consider prayer to be an ongoing dialogue between my gods and me. i don't have to be alone, or quiet, or in a meditative state. often it's a fleeting expression of gratitude or shriek for help or distracted word or two in the midst of madness.
my gods hear me even when i can barely hear myself!
:) khairete
S.

I pray in my head, or under my breath and rarely for a very long amount of time. it is for a few seconds as someone comes to my mind, or as I promise. I am the designated family "pray - er" at big family meals (Christmas, thanksgiving) - but our 9 year old says our evening grace.

Sometimes I pray on my knees. Sometimes I pray quietly in my mind and heart as I am going about my day. Sometimes I forget something I want to pray for so I will quickly add it to my prayer as soon as I remember. I believe God loves us and is listening, even if we don't have time for a long prayer in a quiet place.

I believe God hears you whenever you pray. I also believe that God knows your intentions. so a short prayer of "please be with her" is still a good prayer.
I do have more normal times of quiet prayer (right before bed or as I am waking up), but those times I often forget things. So I often have many short prayers throughout the day. We are to pray without ceasing.

One of the great things about prayer is that God never said it *has* to be done the exact same way for everyone - He knows we all have different personalities and communication styles. One of my friends who is ADD says that the book "Praying in Color" was an awesome resource for helping her stay focused in prayer http://www.prayingincolor.com/

I pray whenever the thought crosses my mind, when ever where ever how ever. In fact, I just prayed a second ago for Ok with the weather going on there. My fav place to pray is in the shower!

The Bible states that we are to pray without ceasing, so I think anytime you want to send up a prayer that it is okay and there is no need to be on your knees or to be in a specific place. So, that being said, you are doing fine! God wants to hear from His children all the time and He doesn't care when or where you talk to Him.

Here is the prayer I say with my kids every night (I used to pray a lot when I was a kid and never wanted to leave anyone out - I used to pray for the 'bums in the streets')....

(Now I lay me down to sleep prayer) followed by God Bless Mommy and Daddy, Ashley and Elias, Grandma and Grandpa, Grandbee and PawPaw, All my Aunts, All my Uncles, All my cousins and all my friends. Amen.

A friend of mine was always taught to pray for 'those who have passed on before us' so that when it's our time, they will be waiting for us upon arrival because we prayed for them. But that is a hard concept to teach a 3.5 year old. I tried to add that in (after 3.5 years of the SAME thing every night) and she was like "Who are they?" LOL

Not silly at all....I loved your question and the responses I read. I'm the sme way... long, drawn out coversations with Him at some points. Other times "quickie" prayers for a safe drive, or the victims of a crime I hear about on the news, etc. Just keep on talking to Him. He knows whats in our hearts and minds. ;-)
Best wishes...

Keep a prayer journal- just a little notebook or something that you can jot requests on. I can't remember very many requests at all without one.