Why is this important?

Relationships are about connection and communication, in both directions. Without them, there is no relationship. Just like people, relationships are unique and the way you connect and communicate is shaped by the needs and preferences of the people involved. Prayer is not limited to that point in a service where someone says “let us pray”...it is so much more than that. It is all the different things you do, places you go, thoughts you have that allow you to feel connected to God, in a two way route to each other.

In some ways, prayer, on your side of the relationship, is as much about finding ways to notice God, who is always there, waiting for you to complete the connection.

Question

Just like art, exercise, play or learning, there are a loads of methods to help you pray (or help you remember to pray). On the human side of the relationship, we’ve got thousands of years worth of practices to draw from.

The most important question is what works for you? What helps you to feel that connection with God?

Be curious…

What happens in your head when you’re quiet, with no distractions?
What happens when you’re surrounded by lots of people?
When you need to concentrate, what do you find most helpful?
What helps you prioritise all the different things you need to do?
When you have work to do, do you prefer to do it on your own or with others?
What kind of games do you gravitate to, solo games or collaborative ones?
Do you prefer graphic or text or audio books?
How do you express your creativity? Problem solving? Craft? Music? Dance?

Suggestion

The key way to discovering what helps you explore your relationship with God is by trying things, lots of things. You know you, if it doesn’t help, can you try it again, in a different place, with people, on your own?

If it really doesn’t work, try something else, come back to it another time. It’s a bit like walking back and forth, holding your phone up,, looking for signal.

Why is this important?

We are always in God’s presence. It is also good consciously to make space and time for prayer, to spend time with God as we would spend time with a friend. There is no one right way! Exploring different approaches to prayer helps to find ways that suit us as individuals, that help us at particular times, and help us explore different ways of understanding God.

Questions

Can you think of an occasion when you have been surprised by a form prayer? Perhaps it was silent prayer or the formal liturgy of a cathedral, a prayer whilst crafting or an arrow prayer of panic? How did you experience God through this different form of prayer?

Suggestions

Try craftivism* as a form of prayer with your group. You could make leaves to send to your MP ahead of COP28 to encourage them to act on climate change. Together talk about why this matters. Spend some time in silence at the beginning, as you start to paint, sew, or craft your leaves, then talk gently about people’s hopes for climate justice. End with a time of spoken or silent prayers, before sending off your leaves with a letter.

*craftivism is a gentle form of protest

Prayer Prompt

Find an image of tree roots. Imagine that prayer is like the roots that go deep into God. We are fed and nourished by God’s love and justice. In the storms of life the roots hold us firm. Pray that we continue to be aware of these deep connections to God in our everyday lives.