When I was a child, I thought as a child, and I prayed as a child. Every night I closed my eyes tightly and said the words my mother taught me:
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take."
I didn't have the faintest idea what it meant, or why I was supposed to say it every night before I went to sleep, but I did it religiously, because that's what my mother taught me to do. It never occurred to me to ask her about it; it was just an accepted part of my life.
When I was a little older, I learned a more mature prayer. I said it religiously every single Sunday in church:
"Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the power, and the glory,
And the kingdom, forever.
Amen."
I didn't really understand what that meant, either, but I said it religiously.
I've learned a lot of prayers on my life's journey. My interest in spirituality and personal truth exposed to me prayers of all kinds, written and recited by all kinds of people. Each was sincere in it's efforts to honor God, and I've respected every prayer I've ever heard.
There was a period in my life when I stopped praying religious prayers. I was of the opinion, then, that religious prayer (defined as prayers that everybody says by rote all of the time) were meaningless. It took me a while to understand that religious prayer is a sincere expression of religious belief. When we pray in church, we are using prayer as part of the confirmation that we are part of the given group of believers we're attending church with, and that's a good thing. Being in spirit with other thinking, feeling human beings who think and feel the same way we do is one of the best parts of being alive.
As I came to appreciate the difference between religion (which is how we choose to express our spiritual truth) and spirituality (which is our spiritual truth in action) I came to appreciate the difference between religious prayer and personal communication with God. I also came to appreciate that prayer means different things to different people, and fills a different role in everyone's spiritual journey.
It was when I discovered that my world was not the whole world that I truly began to understand what prayer is and why people do it, and began doing it again myself. As I explored other religions and other cultures, I was amazed at the myriads of ways in which Man communicates with the higher power in his life. There's not a religion in the world that doesn't teach us that connecting to God - sometimes through prayer - is what God asks of us.
I've never believed that God is a stickler for doctrine. I don't think He cares how we pray, as long as we pray. I don't think that the way we say things is important to God at all. He is a part of us; He knows what we think and what we feel. Our prayers are just us choosing to share our thoughts and feelings with Him by expressing them in words. Neither our thoughts nor our feelings become real until we express them; it is in talking to God, verbally, that we create our own reality about who He is and the role He plays in our lives.
If we choose 'rote' - if the only prayers we ever pray are religious prayers in someone else's words - then we're not really sharing with God, although we are showing respect through the very act of praying. It's when we feel we know God well enough to start up a conversation that we're on the way to having the spiritual relationship with Him that He intended us to have when He gave us separate life.
The more I talked to God, the better I got to know Him, and the better I got to know Him, the more I wanted to talk to Him. I'm pleased to say that, over the years, we've gotten to know each other really well, and talk to each other all the time. The more I pray, the more confident I am that God is with me, always. Maybe that's why they call it "livin' on a prayer."
Lois Grant-Holland is a Life Path Focus Counselor offering Life Path Focus Sessions, Karmic Astrology Charts, Channeled Guidance, Intuitive Readings and Classes and Workshops to spiritual seekers on all positive paths, and is the site facilitator at The A.N.S.W.E.R. - (The Seeker's Resource Guide to Alternative, New Thought, Spiritual Growth, Wellness and Enlightenment Resources.) You can visit her website at http://www.loisgrantholland.com
What the Animals Tell Us"I am the Sun's son. I... Read More
Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
Do you ever wonder about the other "YOU ?"The one... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the... Read More
Adam had it right when he covered himself with fig... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
Let us face reality squarely in the face by acknowledging... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
There are many energy beings available to assist us in... Read More
Most Tarot decks consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana,... Read More
We, the human species, stand on the threshold of a... Read More
For some of us, spirituality is considered a religion, and... Read More
Let's say that you have discovered your purpose but you... Read More
Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do... Read More
The Emmaus Journal What is Wrong With Being Common? This... Read More
Tea-totalling Texans? Them's fightin' words!I live in a small Texas... Read More
Whether we admit it or not, we operate by emotion.... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on... Read More
Why do we have an Ego?Almost all spiritual guides say... Read More
An acrostic prayer poem.The Lord loves me and is gracious... Read More
We have all heard the phrase, "follow your nose". This... Read More
But my God shall supply all your need according to... Read More
That we must live with imperfections is a fact of... Read More
Adam had it right when he covered himself with fig... Read More
What is it with angels and digital clocks? I fell... Read More
THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have... Read More
There once was a man who wanted to teach himself... Read More
Spiritual stuff is a hard sell Roy and one of... Read More
Life is full of ups and downs, trials, and tribulations.... Read More
"Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
A feeling of fulfillment is something we all seek. Here... Read More
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in... Read More
The human body is surely a miracle of God's creation.... Read More
Recently, I received a frantic midnight call from one of... Read More
Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like... Read More
How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve... Read More
(Channelled)I have been trying to ignore this title "A Man... Read More
All Shamans have several power songs because the vibration of... Read More
I have been reading a lot lately about the concepts... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More
It's strange how my life today looks wildly different from... Read More
Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
Is your hope in God? Or, is it in people?I... Read More
The famous prayer of Jabez, where Jabez prayed for prosperity,... Read More
Spirituality |