What is prayer?

Prayer

“Around my house (on those occasions when I bother to sort through paper piles), traces of my prayer life are evident among utility bills, church bulletins, and recycled homework papers.”
Rachel G. Hackenberg

Rachel Hackenberg wrote an article for the most recent issue of Weavings entitled ‘Finding the Courage to Pray.’ She teaches workshops on the discipline of prayer writing. In addition to a regular spiritual practice of writing prayers, she jots them on odd items anytime one comes up during the day. Here are two cited in the article:

“Spin me in circles, Holy Spirit,
and set my feet on a new path.” (prayed on the back of an electric bill)

“God, bless me with a word
or else bite my tongue to stay silent.” (jotted on a paper napkin)

Praying is sometimes and awkward thing for me. I start, and then I find myself grasping at words, trying to find exactly the right ones, as though God might misunderstand my intention. Even knowing which name of God to use in prayer is fumblesome; Dear One, too familiar, Holy Father, too patriarchal, Almighty God, too militaristic…so what should I call the Alpha and the Omega?

I honestly think our prayers are spoken to the entity that connects all things, including us. When we speak in prayer, we are speaking directly to the All, to the Oneness of the Universe. There is no ‘he or she’ to that, only sacredness. I also think that intention is everything; words are secondary. Holding an intention to be a light in the darkness, to be a healing spirit, is prayer without words. On the other hand, if we want to use words, ‘Hey, Holy Dude,’ is probably just as effective as ‘Almighty God’ if the intention is to reach out to the One.

However you say it, write it or hold it in your heart, prayer is an essential means of joining with the Holy Presence that we sometimes call ‘God.’ It matters not what language you speak, or what words you choose; the intention to connect at the level of the heart is all that is necessary. Prayer can be as simple as, ‘Help!’ or ‘Thanks.’

In the spirit,
Jane