Pray Simply

Week 1: Keeping Prayer Simple

Routines are part of life. We are creatures of habit. The minute babies are born parents begin a sleep/feed schedule to form a desired habit. As adults, we easily slide into habits that reflect what we value; for better or worse. Wherever we are in the habit of doing, the actual practice of forming habits is also necessary for spiritual discipline and growth. I’m excited to exercise toward a new habit with you by learning to keep prayer simple. 

Simplistic, Repetitive Prayer; or Breath Prayer

Repetition is a powerful learning tool. The more we repeat a piece of information, the quicker our brain makes synapses until the connection is flawless. The act of thinking over a piece of information with purpose and routine allows it to become almost instinctual. This is the prayer practice we will work to foster this week. 

By choosing a simple prayer and repeating it throughout the day on a regular basis our goal will be to form a new heart habit. This type of prayer has been called a Breath Prayer because it is short and follows the pace of our breathing. For example, the Pilgrim, in The Way of the Pilgrim learned to pray the Jesus prayer. 

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” As you breathe in you’d recite “Lord Jesus Christ” then exhale, “have mercy on me, a sinner.”

The purpose of this simplistic prayer is to center our heart on the object of our affections: God. Firstly, the act of breathing in and out calms us and helps us focus. I use this practice with my daughter when she gets overwhelmed with math or emotions. It clears her mind, releases her frustrations and helps her think and act clearly and calmly. Secondly, this simple form of prayer is purposefully not filled with frilly words or a long list of prayer requests in order to help us connect us with God.

Think back to when you were a child playing tag with your friends.  There always seemed to be a home base; a safe place to rest and refresh in order to form a new strategy or escape the chase. Imagine this type of breath prayer being your home base in your busy, noisy, life. By practicing this prayer we are creating a spiritual space or ‘base’ in our heart for those moments when we need to stop, reset, and reconnect with God in the midst of whatever scenario is unfolding in our day.

The Pilgrim repeated this prayer continuously throughout his day. At one point he spent the entire day repeating the Jesus Prayer without ceasing. Sometimes while praying he’d emphasize specific words dependent on his need; whether it be a confession, help, forgiveness, mercy or love. He repeated it until it became a natural reverberation of his heart throughout his day without his thinking to pray it; an immediate connection with God.

I appreciate how Derek Olsen describes the habit of continuous prayer in his book, Inwardly Digest: The prayer book as a guide to a Spiritual Life. 

“The idea here is that if we can continually keep in mind the goodness of God, the constant presence of God, and an awareness of the mighty works of God on behalf of us and others, then we will more naturally and more completely act in accordance with God’s will and ways.” 

To engage in the prayer of the heart, we first need to align our hearts’ focus on the One in whom we love, adore and praise until it forms into a daily habit. This practice will prepare us for the disciplines to come. 

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This Week’s Daily Practice

The Prayer: I’d like you to choose one simple prayer to become a habit. It may be the Jesus prayer, a part of the Lord’s Prayer a particular Psalm or scripture verse, or a prayer you personally need to pray. The key is that it keeps you mindful of God’s presence and your need of Him and that it remains SIMPLE. 

If you need more ideas I like this list of Breath Prayers provided by Jean Wise. http://healthyspirituality.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/50-Breath-Prayers1.pdf 

The Way: We have all week to practice a repetitive prayer of the heart. I suspect day one won’t be easy. Find creative ways to remind yourself to pray. Find a pace with your breathing and your prayer. That way each time you breathe you’ll remember to pray until it becomes natural. Prayer beads might be useful as each bead reminds you of your prayer. Setting a timer on your phone every few minutes until you no longer need it—start every hour, thirty minutes, fifteen minutes.  Leaving a visual aid around your office, home, or car to remind to pray. The more often you find yourself saying it, the more often it will become a default in your heart and mind. Practicing daily at regular times will solidify the habit. Remember it’s a chance to touch base, reset and refocus in your day.

The beauty of this prayer comes in the accessibility. Whether you are working on spreadsheets, driving, cooking, cleaning, waiting in line, brushing your teeth, playing with your kids or sitting in a meeting, you can repeat this prayer in any situation. We value our relationship with God, so let’s make touching base with Him a daily habit.

The Community: Make sure you comment below throughout the week to let us know how your prayers are going. Please share the prayer you’ve chosen to encourage others.  We are training ourselves in godliness (1 Timothy 4: 7-8) and part of forming a successful habit is accountability. I’d be curious to find out how this prayer encourages and helps you throughout the week. 

My prayer.  I will be praying, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” I tend to worry, feel lonely, get bogged down in my wants and forget God’s goodness, so this week I want to focus on his presence, shepherding and provision. What will you pray?