Status Updates From The Path of Prayer: Four Se...

“Three methods to add to the rule of prayer:

1. Setting time aside each morning to meditation on God
2: turning every action to the glory of God
3. Calling out often to God in brief appeals

“It is necessary to begin as often as possible during the day, by calling to God from the heart in short words, according to one’s needs and in ways appropriate to the events around you.”

“One must act in such a way that the soul does not turn to God only when you are standing in prayer, but should do so far as possible throughout the day. It should be an offering of oneself to Him.”

“Uninterrupted practice in the order described will make it take root in the soul, and patience in this practice will establish a prayerful spirit.”

If a part in the prayer strongly affects your soul or emotions, “stop. Stand with your attention on those words which moved you. It’s better for a prayer to be unfinished than for that state of mind to be destroyed.”

“If the mind wanders many times at the same place, repeat that section again and again. Do this until it is said entirely with feeling and understanding. Once you have overcome this difficulty, it may never repeat itself, or only repeats to a lesser extent.”

“When you recite ‘and forgive us our trespasses,’ etc. first forgive everyone inwardly, and then, from a heart that has forgiven everyone for every single thing, beg the Lord for forgiveness.”

“If you work in this way at every line of your prayers, you will have said them in the correct manner.”

“(Pray) in such a way as to wake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe because you are standing in the presence of God.”

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, first stand for a while, sit for a while, or walk a little. Try to steady your mind, then turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think of who He is, Him to whom you turn in prayer. Next, recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in prayer.

“First, do not start to pray without at least some brief preparation. Second, do not perform your prayer carelessly, but do so with attention and feeling. Third, do not return to your usual occupations immediately you have finished praying.”

“When we pray, all our care should be focused on filling our souls with such emotion that when the tongue speaks in prayer, and the ear hears that prayer, and the body prostrates itself, the heart will not be found empty, but will be moved towards God by its emotion. When such feelings are present, our prayer is prayer. When they are absent, it is not yet prayer.”