The Town of Odyssey

"I haven't the foggiest idea what prayer does - I do know that I can't get through my day without praying..." ~Frank Schaeffer

How do you explain prayer?

First off Frank Schaeffer is a horrible source.

On to the real topic, this is something I've been struggling with lately. Prayer is hard to do, you need to balance worships and supplication. For me the greatest guide has just been reading the Psalms and reading prescribed prayers. Praying with words I think up is just so far beyond me at this point. I also think there's a big place for silence in prayer and just trying to quiet our thoughts.

I've been praying my whole life. Once you get past being a kid, it is pretty important to start praying of yourselve. I praise and thank God first then I move on to my spiritual life. As I pray about my spiritual life, during prayer I often times find things that are lacking.

I think there is a value in praying of yourself, I have only been praying for four years at this point so I am a figurative infant at this point. But I think prescribed prayers are also of great value to everyone.

Hmm but prayer should be personal.

Can the Lord's prayer be personal? Or praying a Psalm?

The Psalms are really good "prescribed prayers" as Rand said. I do that, I wouldn't say all the time, but I definitely incorporate that into my "prayer life".

I don't mean that you can't pray a prescribed prayer, but you can't only pray those. They won't grow you as much as simply praying what is in your heart.

I agree, you can't only pray them but I would also say a strong prayer life will include them.

As for the idea that you pray what is in your heart, I can see where you're coming from but at the same time what would you say to people who quote verses like the heart is deceitful and believe that man is inherently sinful and wicked?

Me wonders myself about that verse...

I do not believe in certain prayers where people simply read them because it's a ritual. However, I am undecided whether reading prayer and calling it prayer is a wrong idea. The Lord prescribed a form of prayer to his disciples (The Lord's Prayer)

I think part of what makes it hard to define at times is because two different people could say the exact same prayer, and the intent could be totally different. It's not the specific words that have power. God is what makes prayer powerful. If somebody says the same prayer every day, or regularly prays stuff that other people have written, and means every word and is seeking to know God more through those prayers, then they're drawing closer to God, and that's what we want to do. Somebody else could make up all the words of their prayers and always have something new to say but just do it out of duty, not meaning any of what they sat, and it would be meaningless.

Matthew 6: 5-8 talks about this:

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

The very next passage is the Lord's Prayer.

Prayer is something that God tells us to do as part of a personal relationship with a Father who loves us and wants to know us and have us know Him. Whatever that looks like and sounds like will be a little different for each person, but the basics of talking to God and listening to Him are vital.

I like to think of prayer as something that brings me up closer to God instead of bring God down closer to me.

I also find reminding God of His promises to be a powerful part of prayer.