Continuing on from yesterday we need to ask, is our prayer slacking because we cannot find the words? Much of the discussion over the years has been about liturgical v extemporaneous prayer. Of course there is space for both. One writer had this to say concerning extemporary prayer, “After a few years the congregation knows well the phrases, expressions and order of the petitions of the minister. Sometimes they can make a shrewd guess how long the prayer will last, and when it is nearing its end. When this is the case, it is just as formal to pray extempore as to pray from a book.”
However, one of the benefits of highly structured prayer is that it can help you to pray in situations where you don’t really feel like it and might have otherwise failed to do so. Because you have something specific you know you want to say, you tend to follow through on praying much more often than you would otherwise.
On the other hand, prayer doesn’t have to be structured though; sometimes you can just talk to God and tell him what is on your mind. The advantages of this type of prayer is that it facilitates an active relationship between yourself and God and is flexible enough to cover whatever you are going through.
I use a combination of both where a more formal liturgy lays a foundation upon which I can build a more intimate conversation with the one who is closer to me than breathing.
PRAYER: Gracious God, thank you for the gift of language, for the opportunity to speak to people and even to you. How amazing to think that I can talk to you and you actually listen to me! Yet, I also thank you for listening when I cannot find the words to say, when my grief is unutterable or when my joy is unspeakable. Thank you for hearing my groaning, and even for helping me to groan when I cannot find words to offer to you. Amen.
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