The Practice Of Prayer By Jenna Tulman
Spiritual practices have enriched my life these past few years,
Spiritual practices have enriched my life these past few years, especially those that invite me into prayer. I love quieting myself before God, listening to His voice, and feeling His presence daily. Here are a few practices that have pulled me closer to God, and I write about them in hopes that they will pull you close to Him as well. The first is praying with beads; this practice differs from the Catholic Church's rosary. These beads in themself aren't special or spiritual. They are simply a tactile tool that I like to use. I picked out five wooded beads, each with a different shape and size, and I carefully wrote an emotion on each one: joy, sadness, anger, love, and peace. One by one, I roll each bead in my hand, and while I move the bead through my fingers, I tell God about a moment I felt that emotion during the week. Then, I invite Him into each emotion, asking Him to be with me every moment.
Another prayer practice that I love is imagination prayer. In this practice, I choose a story from one of the Gospels, taking Jesus feeding the 5000 as an example. As I read the passage, I slow down to imagine myself being present in the story. I ask myself questions like, "what am I feeling as I experience the miracle of the bread and the fish?" or, "what is it like seeing Jesus and being present with Him while He teaches?" I imagine feeling the grass beneath my feet, the fresh breeze on my face, and the bread filling my stomach. I allow myself to slow down and experience the story; as I do, I ask God what He is teaching me. I pay attention to where my imagination leads me and invite God to speak to me. In the letter to the Philippians, we are reminded that we can pray about everything, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God," (Philippians 4:6 ESV). What a beautiful thought. We can make all our requests known to God. I've started going for walks in the morning, and I tell God about everything as I walk. I share my hopes and dreams with Him, ask for His grace and forgiveness, and invite Him into each moment. During these times, I hear His tender voice, the clearest.
Prayer is a gift, and it's the ability to talk to God as we would a friend. God cares dearly for us and invites us into a relationship with Himself. Two verses come to mind as I reflect on prayer. The first is from Revelation 3:20 ESV, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me." Jesus is standing at the door and knocking, and all who open the door will be with Him. I love this, I love the idea of Jesus inviting every one of us into a relationship with Him, and I love that we simply need to respond. God doesn't make it complicated. He simply wants us to know Him as a friend. The second verse that came to mind is Psalm 141:2 ESV, "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" As I read this verse, I imagine my prayers rising as incense. The thing about incense is that it's pleasing; I picture my essential oils filling the room with sweet smells in the morning. Our prayers rise to God, and they please Him. Friends, God loves to hear your voice.
Let me share with you one last practice, the practice of life journaling. What I love about life journaling is that there isn't a right or wrong way to do it. You simply need your Bible and your journal. As you read your Bible, pay attention to what verses jump out at you and then write them down. Ask God to speak to you about what he's teaching you through His Word. Journal what God is saying to you, and journal your prayers.
If you'd like more structure, use the acronym SOAP (scripture, observation, application, prayer) or SHAPE (scripture, hearing God, application, prayer, exalting God). Allow God to speak to you through His written Word. Finally, let me pray for you, dear sister. Father, thank you for knowing each one of us so intimately. Your love is deeper than we'll ever know. Thank you for standing at the door and knocking and for inviting us to know you more and more. Open our hearts to your voice and teach us to grow closer to you. Amen
