By Rev. Kimberly Myer
Prayer is what I believe to be the most important spiritual practice for every Anglican, every Christian today.
Prayer is the foundation of our relationship with God/Christ Jesus. It also builds our relationships with our family, friends, church community, the community in which we live, and the world.
Prayer is not only focused on ourselves but the many people and situations we hear about during our daily lives, and it is through our prayer we are asking for God’s guidance, God’s help and mainly that God’s will to be done. This is what we call intercessory prayer - something we do every Sunday morning and hopefully this is part of our own prayer life.
So, what is prayer?
It is a conversation with God, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit. Take a moment and think about how you start your prayer. Whom are you praying too? Prayer for me is like talking to my most trusted best friend. It is a safe place to share my celebrations but also to share my anger and hurt when life doesn’t quite go my way. It is a time to question God, when I see injustices and can’t figure out why God just doesn’t step in and correct it. I know, human choice is the reason, yet I know I can yell and scream, and God will not leave me, God will listen and possibly during that time a solution will appear.
What do we say in our prayer time? The main thing is to thank God for the many blessings in our life, even if on some days they are difficult to find. Praise God for being part of our lives. Ask God for guidance during a time of discernment. Mainly talk to God about what is going on in your life then take the time to listen to what God has to say to you.
When do we pray? All the time if possible. Pray in the morning, the afternoon, the evening. Pray while walking, sitting at a stop sign, when you see an accident, when you see children having fun in the park. If you prefer to set aside a time to focus your prayers on your family, friends, community, world, for those who are struggling, people who have hurt you and those whom you need to find forgiveness. Anytime is a good time.
Why pray? We as Anglican Christians have promised in our baptismal vows to take time in prayer. To do our best to follow God’s lead and do God’s will. This in turn gives us that peace that passes all understanding, knowing we are not alone, and we always have someone to talk with.
This pandemic has been difficult on many of us and it is time for us to look to the future and ask God what God would like us to do in the church and in our communities. Continue to pray for our front line workers, those whom are ill and the caregivers. Prayer is very important and listening to God’s answer is more important. Let us take the time to spend part of our day in prayer for our church community and our Diocese and let God know we are ready for the next steps.
Rev. Kimberly Myer is an AFP Executive, and the rector of the Parish of St. Stephen’s and Church of the Redeemer in Oldcastle.
(Featured photo: Matthew Henry/Unsplash)