We can communicate with God through our thoughts, by speaking out loud, or by journaling.
There is something to be said for a casual conversation. Sometimes, conversation can be difficult. Other times, have a more systematic exploration of deep and important things is a powerful thing to do.
In this light, I hope that the following prompts are helpful ones for you:
- Today, simply ask God for something. Believe that he can and change the world. It might be something for you. It might be something for someone else.
- Have a happy prayer of thanksgiving. One way to approach this is to begin with the specific and concrete. Gradually move to those things which are more abstract. Consider that God works through others as well as directly, so thank God for the people in your life, and for their kindness. End your time filling yourself up with a feeling of grattitude.
- Your job today is to pray for someone else. You might begin by thanking God for them. List all of the the things you appreciate about them. Ask for what you wish the person would have. Perhaps you can connect with the person that you prayed for; perhaps you can tell them how it went.
- The lord’s prayer goes like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. It has been observed that this is a powerful framework for us to pray. One way to see this framework is as having the following steps: Begin with recognizing God’s greatness; (our father in heaven) state your desire for God’s agenda to be achieved; (your will be done) Trust God with your life (on Earth as it is in heaven) ask for your needs to be met (give us our daily bread) Ask for forgiveness of your errors, and for help forgiving others ; ask for protection. Perhaps you will say the words of the lords prayer as written. Maybe you will create your own version of the lords prayer in this format.
- Pray for yourself today. Pray for your needs and your wants, for your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It can be hard to focus on ourselves sometimes. Let these words be your permission, Reflect on how you can not care for others if you do not care for yourself.
- In the Bible, God gets a variety of names and titles. Pray to each or all of the following:Lord will provide
Lord is my banner
God who sees
Lord who heals
The lord is there
Lord is my shephard
Lord our rightousness
The Lord is peace
Lord of Hosts/ Almighty
Mighty leader
One God
Lord, Master, Owner
God with us
Dearest father
- Pray for yourself today. Pray for your needs and your wants, for your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It can be hard to focus on ourselves sometimes. Let these words be your permission, Reflect on how you can not care for others if you do not care for yourself.
- It can feel shallow, praying for stuff. Perhaps this is connected to the ways we are told to be modest and humble. And yet, there are examples where it seems like we are told to pray for things (like our daily bread). And so today, pray for things. Pray for the things that are easy to take for granted. Pray for the things that feel like they are far beyond your ability to create. Pray for things for yourself. And pray for things for others.
- Today, pray for physical healing. Begin by being thankful for the physical health you are experiencing. And then, pray for more! Consider your own health, and the health of those you love. Consider temporary hurts and chronic conditions. Think about deadly diseases and temporary annoyances. Pray for God’s wisdom that you would make wise and healthy decisions, and pray for doctors and others who help guide you into physical health.
- And let todays prayer be for emotional healing. This might mean help in recovery from trauma. Or help in fogrgiveness. Or help with unhelpful emotions. Prayer for your emotional healing, and the healing of those you love… and those whom you have hurt.
- Today, pray for your spiritual life. Talk to God about where it was, and where it is, and where you hope it will be. Thank God for who “he” is, and thank God for all the mentors and spirutal figures that have crossed your path. Ask God for continued wisdom in your journey, and pray for the spiritual lives of the people you love.
- Think about the things you are praying and wishing for, for yourself. The prayer just begins here, so don’t let it eat up all your time. But as you talk to God, summarize all the things you are wishing for. Now, consider the person who you might consider an enemy. The person you like least. All the things you were just praying for yourself? Pray that this person gets what you are wishing for. This is praying for your enemies. It is hard work.
- There must be something you wish would come to pass. Something big. Perhaps it is for you. Maybe it is for someone else. There is power in praying for the same thing for a while. Today, choose something, And choose a period of time to pray for it, Perhaps it will be each day for a week. Maybe you will use an alarm on a phone and remind yourself to pray for it each hour today. I believe that sometimes God works on the outside world, as we pray for things; but also, he works on us. So listen and pay attention to the work God is doing in you, as you pray for this.
- Today, pray for some one that you struggle with. It might be someone active in your life now. Maybe you have never met them. They might have impacted you. Or maybe they have impacted someone you love. Do you have the spiritual maturity to truly pray for then? Will you leave out your agenda, and truly ask God for the best for them? That is where the rubber hits the road.
- And let today be your day of confession. None of us are perfect. All of us fall short. To admit these short comings is a powerful thing. Fully own your mistakes and the troubles that they have caused. Ask God for forgiveness and assistance in not walking down that road again.
- The Jewish scriptures have a precedent for collective sin as well as individual ones. Today, confess the sins of the groups that you belong to. Perhaps they are the result of privilige. Consider your family, ethnic background, personal life, and work groups. Think about the groups you belong to today, and the groups you have belonged to in the past. Ask God for guidance in how to be a more responsible member of this community.
The Faith-ing Project 