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How To Pray To GodHow to pray to God! Jesus spoke out against
repeated prayers, and never at any time did he tell people to repeat standard
prayers, or use prayers penned down by others. On the contrary, he was very
clear on this point in his teachings; 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need
of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8) But what does ‘vain repetition’ entail? We could probably agree upon
that it includes all manmade prayers
that are repeated over and over again. A repeated prayer
require less genuine emotion than a spontaneous one, and it is the genuine emotion that is the core
of a real prayer. God will probably
receive prayers with as much passion as we send them with. And it is a
misunderstanding to think that a prayer is a string of words offered up, be it
for the first or hundredth time. A prayer is a deeply
felt desire of the soul, calling out to God. That is how to pray to God! The words just makes the prayer understandable
to ourselves, God knew it before we prayed. Reading a prayer from a book is
not a prayer, unless... Repeating a
prayer written by someone else is not
a prayer, unless... Saying the Jesus Prayer is not a prayer, unless… Doing the Rosary is not a prayer, unless… …unless you, at that very moment, have a soul that cries out exactly what is written in these set prayers! And we
all know that that does not happen a
lot! The more we repeat
ourselves, the less time we spend in learning how to pray to God. Why waste all that
time in vain repetition? Why not take that time to open up your life to God? As
you tell him about your blessings and trials, it will come natural to thank him
of your heart, and plead with him for assistance. You will find this
conversation with God a wonderful relief. You will start sensing
a still, small influence from time to time, guiding you onward in your life. This will be the
Light of Christ, which will guide everyone who comes into the world, and it
will also guide you to an understanding on how to pray to God. No vain repetition will bring you to this
conversation. But just passing off a nursery rhyme is not even nearly as
exhausting as is a conversation with God. When a person with
closed eyes starts; Hail Mary, full of grace and truth; blessed art thou among
women…, that does not engage God at all, since he is not the one invoked. Neither does it
activate Mary, poor woman. I am sure that she wept sorely, and complained
bitterly to her Son when this sacrilege began, but after centuries and millions
of misguided souls, she probably doesn’t even hear it any more. It is just one
form of idolatry among many. When a Catholic, Muslim, or Hare Krishna rolls a prayer-bead, it
does not move the heavens. Just as little as when a devout Christian of any
denomination once again repeats the Lord’s Prayer, or when an Anglican repeats
some well phrased words from Book of Common Prayers. Unless, if they at that very moment… you know the drill! What will move the heavens is when your heart is moved; when your lips try to
emulate the feelings of your heart, and the desire of your soul, with a pure
heart, with real intent. That is how
to pray to God! The next time you pray it will be different. You will have
lived a bit more. The situation you prayed about will have developed some, or
your understanding of it will have been affected. You will not have the same
strength as the last time; you will either have more, or less. It appears that
the finger of God have begun to move your understanding and capacity. Or
perhaps his power has started to resolve the issue, or give power to endure or
capitulate. So, the new prayer,
your new soul-felt petition can differ from the last. And it should always
begin in gratitude for his involvement and blessings. This is a true, ongoing,
conversation with God. Every person who is
born into this life received a very special gift from Christ. That gift is called
the Light of Christ. 9 That (Jesus) was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John
1:6-9) From the
very beginning of our lives we are guided by a prompting to choose the right. This prompting is the Light
of Christ, which is the governing law of the universe. The light of Christ
keeps planets in their set tracks, it causes the sun to shine, it keeps gravity
working etc. Everything obeys this Light of Christ with exactness, except man,
who has been given an exceptional freedom of choice, which accompanies his/her
intelligence. The Light of Christ is a gift to everyone, and it will not give
mankind the complete guidance needed
to worship according to the will of the Lord. Obeying this Light within prepares
us to receive Jesus Christ, and the Comforter sent by him, even the Holy Ghost. The truly righteous, the ones who
recognize Jesus as their savior, and want to take upon themselves his name, they
will be baptized in water, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of
hands. With the
gift of the Holy Ghost you will be guided with even more clarity than you were
when you were guided only by the Light of Christ. The Light of Christ is still
there, it is the guiding force, but it will be in direct cooperation with the Holy Ghost, who’s
mission it is to testify of the Father and of the Son, and to teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance that God has told you. With the Gift of the
Holy Ghost you will have one member of the Godhead present in your prayers; he will show you
further how to pray to God. This means, that as you open your conversation with
God, your hearts righteous desire will be your words to God, and as you make a
pause, the Holy Ghost will fill the silence with promptings from the Father. It
can be reminders, it can be warnings, it can be comforting words or feelings,
or it can be teaching of things you didn’t know up to that point. It is the desire of Jesus
that you should have a living conversation with God. With the Holy Ghost
this is very real, indeed. You will learn to know the voice of God in those
prayers, but it requires a clean heart, clean hands and thoughts. Your intent must be pure and you must have
faith in Christ. There is no button to push to get there. But there is a path that
leads there. So if you, in spite of your imperfections, really desire such
blessings in your life, you must start by being honest to yourself and to God.
Don’t repeat other people’s prayers. Create your own. Ask the Lord to help you
change, and lead you to his salvation. Remember, the Light of Christ will let
you know when you are honest or deceptive in your prayer. When you are
deceptive, ask God’s forgiveness immediately, and let him know you want to be
honest. Keep the prayer open as long as it is possible to take it somewhere
good. You can open the
prayer by saying, in your heart, or out loud: ‘Father in Heaven’. The words of the prayers are yours. But be still. Let the Light of
Christ undress you of your pride and dishonesty. Say to God what you want to
happen, and what you feel is happening to you. Be quick to thank him when you
feel his finger intervene in your life. When you are filled, or feel you are
done, you can close the prayer. You can close the
prayer by saying: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.’ This will be the start of something new and beautiful. Go from How to Pray to God to - Home
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