Praying as we go

For so many of us, prayer is something that we may do, at best, a couple of times a day before meals. Or it is something we do as we're trying to fall asleep at night. Or something we do when we really need something.
But prayer is a necessary and nourishing part of the Christian life. It is not only what gives us strength to get through difficult times; it is also that which can become so essential to our spirits that when we don't spend enough time practicing the discipline of prayer, we feel as though our spiritual lives are almost non-existent.
Wherever you fall on the prayer continuum -- whether you are one who prays constantly, or one who hardly ever prays, or one who is yearning for more opportunities to pray, here are some resources for your journey.

• Pray As You Go is a wonderful resource online. You can listen to short meditations with beautiful music and scripture on your computer or download them in podcast form.




• Sacred Space is associated with the pray-as-you-go folks and is an excellent online daily prayer. If you would like to access a prayer resource on your computer but are unable to listen to something, this is a great choice.




• The Daily Office is a device that has been used for millenia by the church to separate the day into hours at which point certain prayers are said. If you would like to pattern your day around prayer, The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle is a wonderful print resource. It is also available online.
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  Intercessory prayers are prayers that are offered for those in need. We intercede on their behalf to God. Consider praying for those folks listed in the church bulletin, as well as people you don't know. A pastor can provide a list of global and national prayer concerns. Or you can make a point to listen to the news or read the paper and pray for the situations you notice.




• Lectio Divina is another excellent technique that integrates scripture reading with prayer. In this technique a passage of scripture is read. After a brief period of meditation, it is re-read with special attention paid to any words of phrases that seem to resonate with the reader. The reader then meditates about those words or phrases, praying for God's guidance and message to be revealed.

These are just a very few of the ways one can increase and expand one's prayer life. Keep exploring, keep desiring to hear God's voice, and most of all -- keep praying!