tell me something about prayer
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Imagine having someone you loved dearly and who loved you even more. But you never spoke to them; you never allowed them to speak to you? That would be sad and damaging too. Eventually the relationship would suffer and you would have no chance to grow. Our relationship with God is in many ways just like our other relationships; it needs time, it needs effort and it needs love.
WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY ABOUT?
Prayer is essentially communicating with God and building a relationship with him. You might pray to say thank you, to say please, to say sorry or to share with God some of the joys and challenges of your day. You might want to pray for others, for the world. You might have nothing to say, but just want to come alongside God in a more conscious way. You might just want to listen! Prayer doesn’t always need words.
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​And be honest – God knows what is in your heart anyway.
HOW CAN WE PRAY?
There are so many ways to pray and it is all about finding what helps you spiritually and makes you feel best connected to God. Stand, sit or kneel. Pray alone or with others, say familiar words such The Lord’s Prayer or the Jesus prayer, or, use your own words, or a bit of both! Sit in silence. Light a candle. Meditate on a passage from scripture. It’s all good – just work out what brings you close to God and keep at it.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
This is the only prayer which Jesus taught us (hence, the Lord’s Prayer). It would originally have been spoken in Aramaic and has been translated into so many languages. This is the modern English version; you may know the more traditional version.
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Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
