Effective
prayer can be a struggle. So often when I approach my prayer time I find my
mind distracted so that I simply go though a routine without any feelings.
Usually, I memorize many of the prayers I say daily in addition to my
intercessory prayers. Memorization
etches the prayer in my mind making it available to me at any time.
What
happens frequently, though, is that my mind takes control and begins to pray
automatically This is not a good sign.
Why? Because our prayers need to come from the heart with feeling and an
awareness that we are engaged in a dialogue with God. We need to have the awe
of His presence as we pray. An automatic prayer is not really a prayer. A
prayer must come from the heart with feeling and understanding. I find I must continually remind myself of
this. Too often I fall into the trap of just putting in my time to fulfill my
prayer rule. It is not about the time we spend in prayer, but the sincerity
with which we pray that is of the most importance.
Saint
Theophan says,
When you are at prayer, recite your prayer or
psalm from memory, and embrace each word, not just with thought, but with
feeling. If during this your own
prayerful cries arise from some word of the psalm or prayer, do not cut them
off, but let them come.
We are
taught to have a prayer rule and to stick with each day. We are told to
memorize our routine prayers. But the danger is that our prayer time becomes
too routine and we do not "embrace each word, not just with thought but
with feeling." We can easily fly through our prayer rule, like we are on
automatic pilot, and never allow for
those precious moments of spontaneous prayer where our heart is fully open realizing
God's mercy and help.
We do not
need to have a complex set of prayers for effective prayer. We can have an
effective prayer time with only one simple prayer such as the Jesus Prayer or
the Lord's Prayer. But, we must be attentive to each word as we repeat the
prayer over and over for our allotted prayer time. The words must drop into our
heart and penetrate it deeply with feeling. With such attention, our hearts are
opened and God's grace reaches out to embrace us with His mercy.
Saint
Theophan says,
Labor, for nothing will come from you
otherwise. If you are not successful in prayer, do not expect success in
anything else. It is the root off everything.
Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com.by/2011/10/my-struggle-in-prayer.html
CONVERSATION