Listen to Our Hearts

As a young person, I found prayer confusing. Difficult. Random. Since then I’ve read a lot on the subject, observed people who pray (from inside and outside the circles of my youth), and even taught college classes on spiritual disciplines (you never learn something as thoroughly as you do when you have to teach it to someone else!). So, I suppose, as a not-as-young person, I am still finding my way in prayer.

Two useful tips over the years have been the most beneficial to me. The first was the idea of using The Lord’s Prayer as a kind of outline for my own prayer time.The other was using the Psalms as a prayer guide. I’m also currently dipping my theological feet into Phyllis Tickle’s Divine Hours series as well. It provides written prayers and sacred readings according to the ancient Christian patterns of multiple devotional hours throughout the day.

Sometimes it feels there is so much to study, so many methods to consider! But this morning I heard the prayer of one of the four year-olds in our children’s chapel and I was washed in its simplicity. It actually follows some of the patterns I mentioned above, and it is very likely pieces of other people’s prayers that he has mixed together and memorized, but it was his all the same.

Dear God,

Thank you for our snacks.

Help us be nice to our friends.

Bless Jesus.

Amen.

Beautiful photo from earlb on Flikr. Check his website also!