Prayer Practices

What is Prayer -

Henri Nouwen writes about prayer, “Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at that point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes places. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There heart speaks to heart, because there we stand before the face of the Lord, all seeing, within us.” [1]

Some purposes of prayer -

• Draw us in deeper connection and awareness of God (intimacy)
• Connect our heart to the knowledge that Christ dwells within us (awareness)
• Forms us more in His likeness (transformation)
• Help us to focus on His kingdom rather than on ourselves (kingdom centered)

Some types of prayer -

• Centering Prayer / Silent Prayer
• Beholding His Beauty / Contemplative Prayer
• Lectio Divana
• Intercession

Ultimately, prayer leads us to know Him more and more intimately and deeply as we become more present to Him and aware of Him in our midst.

In Philippians 3:10 Paul says, “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] that if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].”

What are ways you connect with God and come to know Him deeper and intimately?

What are some ways that you can slow down your life to come more present to God?

Practice – Centering Prayer

Psalm 46:10a says, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.”

The goal of centering prayer is to receive quiet yourself before the Lord and come present to Him in your heart. It is a place of receiving His love and kindling the fire of your love for Him. As you sit in silence, let your agendas, cares and worries be put into the Lord's hand. Open up your heart to receive His love.

Come present to Him just as you are. Don't try to put on a front, think holy thoughts or have your act together to receive. Luke 1:53 says, “He has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty-handed [without a gift].”

Sometimes saying simple phrases can draw you to Him such as -

• I love you and want to know you better
• In you I am complete
• I am your son / daughter, Abba I belong to You.
• We are one
• I am completely yours

As you become distracted from centering on Him, keep turning your heart back to Him. The goal is to deepen your love relationship with Him and expand your capacity to be present to Him as you go through your day. Once you are in His presence, let yourself just be with Him. Don't be quick to move on or give into the feeling that you need to be doing something.

Practice – Beholding His Beauty

Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

What are some pictures of Jesus that capture your heart? Spend time this week when you get up in the morning adoring Him and telling Him what amazes you about Him.

Philippians 4:8 says,

“...brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].”

What does this verse speak about keeping your mind fixed on Jesus rather than your circumstances?

Examples:

• Read and meditate on Revelation 4
• Read and meditate on John 19
• Read through Romans and highlight verses that demonstrate God's love. Highlight verses where God's love is demonstrated through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in different colors. Read back through them by color highlight.
• Listen to “I am the Day” by Libera
• Read Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge

Practice-- Lectio Divana [2].

1. Read the Word. Spend a few minutes sitting in the love of Father God as His child. Then open up the Word as a love letter. Pray for God to open the eyes of your heart to see Him and His love for you in it. Read the text attentively from the heart (not the mind) looking to receive the manna He has for you in it.
2. Meditate on what you have read. Re-read what you have read. Listen to what God is speaking to you through the word. Circle, underline and write down things that you hear God speak to you in it. Let Him love you and let it work to deepen your relationship with Him.
3. Express your heart. As you ponder it, converse with God about it. Ask yourself where is your heart in the verses? Where is God's heart in the verses? Write down thoughts and questions you have from it. Let a prayer bubble up from your heart from what you read.
4. Rest in His Love. Let Him love you through your conversation and connection. Rest in that place of love.

Some suggested Scriptures to practice with:

• Psalm 23
• John 16:7-15
• Jeremiah 29:11-13
• Deuteronomy 32:10-12

Practice – Intercession

Joy Dawson writes, “Why is intercession such a wonderful way of experiencing God? Because intercession is praying as directed and energized by the Holy Spirit for others. In doing so, we become recipients of part of God's mind and heart for them. God thinks the most merciful, loving, tolerant thoughts, filled with spiritual ambition for everyone, which means that He shares part of Himself with us. Nothing can change us more quickly to become like Him.”

Praying in the Spirit

Intercession is to be led by the Holy Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is making yourself available for the Holy Spirit to speak through you. The Holy Spirit is our helper for prayer. Paul says about it in Romans 8:26-27, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.”

Fasting with Prayer

Fasting tenderizes our hearts and makes us more aware of God within us.  Fasting may include food but also could involve any practice of laying something aside of the world that distracts us or draws our attention so  we can become more present to God. 

Brother Lawrence writes,“sometimes it is helpful to disengage the sentiments of the will from the world, in order that it can focus entirely on God. For if the will is able in some manner to comprehend Him, it can only be by love. And that love, which has its end in God, will be hindered by the things of this world.” [4]

Praying Scriptures

The Scriptures are filled with prayers that we can learn about intercession from, pray and proclaim. The Psalms, Prophets and Apostolic prayers are a great place to start praying scripture. Apostolic Prayers are those prayers prayed in the epistles by the Apostles for the church. Below is an example of an Apostolic Prayer:

Paul prays in in Philippians 1:9-10, "that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble]."

Examples

• Read the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17, what does it teach you about the Lord's heart and desires for believers?
• Pray Luke 11:2-4;
• Pray Psalm 90:12;
• Pray Isaiah 64:1-4;
• Pray Ephesians 3:16-19

1. Nouwen, Henri JM, The Way of the Heart. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY. 1991.

2. Hougen, Judith. Transformed Into Fire: An Inventation to Life in the True Self. Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. 2002.

3. Dawson, Joy. Intercession, Thrilling and Fulfilling. YWAM Publishing, Seattle, WA. 1997.

4.  Brother Lawrence, The Practice of The Presence of God. Whitaker House, New Kensington, PA. 1982