Prayers

[MoreFaith]

Are there any prayers or important passages I can memorize such as The Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want)? Catholics have Rosary prayers, and I was wondering if there were any prayers that Christians could memorize. I would feel more comfortable if I said some of these prayers/passages throughout the day to make me feel more secure. I carry around my prayer beads and prayer rope all the time. I also say the Jesus Prayer frequently ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."), as well as The Lord's Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, and all of Psalm 23 by memory. I would like to learn more because it makes me feel very comfortable.

 

[snoochface]

Be careful with this. Praying is not supposed to be ritualistic, it is supposed to be an open communication and dialogue with God. The purpose of prayer is to be in fellowship with God, worship him, give him thanks, and present him with your needs. It is not supposed to be like a security blanket, something that you do ritualistically to make yourself feel "secure" or "comfortable".

Along those lines, I would say not to memorize prayers and just repeat the words ritualistically. It's better to pray from your heart, giving thanks to God first, then presenting your needs to him. The Lord's Prayer was intended as an outline that Jesus was giving to his apostles in response to their request that he teach them *how* to pray. He did not intend to give them the *exact* words to pray. Follow the outline, but speak from your heart.

 

[BalaamsAss51]

Hello MoreFaith.

First let me respectfully disagree with another poster who doesn't like memorized prayers because they are ritualistic. Is the Lord's Prayer memorized? Yes. Is it an example of how Jesus wants us to pray? Yes. Does the prayer ever have to wonder if they are doing it right if they pray the Lord's Prayer? No. And the Eastern Jesus Prayer that you mentioned is also a memorized prayer. It's a great one.

To get to your question on other neat prayers to pray - We pray because God both commands prayer and promises to hear our prayer. We pray for our personal needs and the needs of others. We pray in gratitude for what we have received. We pray whenever the need arises or the opportunity presents itself; in other words we pray all the time. We pray everywhere, at home, at work, in the car. In public worship and at the dinner table (at home or in a restaurant).

Perhaps in the hymnal you use in church there is a section of prayers for different occasions. In our hymnal there is a section called "Petitions, Intercessions, and Thanksgivings". It includes short prayers for steadfast faith, divine protection, for the church, at the birth of a child, for our enemies, etc. These short prayers help get your thoughts working, they are a good place to start, then you add what else is on your heart.

Here is a morning prayer written by Martin Luther about 500 years ago. "I thank Thee, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, that Thou hast kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray Thee that Thou wouldst keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please Thee. For into Thy hand I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Thy holy angel be with me, that the wicked Foe may have no power over me. Amen" Then Luther adds - "Then go joyfully to your work, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever yur devotion may suggest.

What about a table prayer - "Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."

Many denominations publish devotional/prayer booklets for monthly use. We use one called "Portals of Prayer". It contains prayers for morning and evening use each day of the week. It also has short prayers for different occasions - like Palm Sunday, The Ascension of Our Lord, Father's Day, Memorial Day, For Graduates, For and By the Sick. Lots of great ideas here for you to use in your prayer life.

I do not doubt that praying makes you comfortable. What better words could we use than giving back to God what He has told us. The Psalms have always been the prayerbook of the church. Use whatever you like.

Just don't get stuck thinking that prayer can only be done one way. Only by wrote or only extemporaneously. Don't limit yourself, God just wants you to speak with Him. He doesn't care how you do it. As a parent I loved it when my children spoke to me about anything. Even when (and maybe especially) they couldn't do a very good job about it. God loves you
too.

Pax

 

[TexasGirl06]

Are there any prayers or important passages I can memorize such as The Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want)? Catholics have Rosary prayers, and I was wondering if there were any prayers that Christians could memorize. I would feel more comfortable if I said some of these prayers/passages throughout the day to make me feel more secure. I carry around my prayer beads and prayer rope all the time. I also say the Jesus Prayer frequently ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."), as well as The Lord's Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, and all of Psalm 23 by memory. I would like to learn more because it makes me feel very comfortable.

Hello.... MoreFaith

Prayer is simply "talking with God".
You do not need a formula.
You can talk to Him, anywhere !
At any time !
Even...with your eyes open !!!!!

Try not to focus on... "how do I do it".
Just talk to Him....like you would talk to a friend.

He is very interested in a relationship with you......

 

[MikeMcK]

Are there any prayers or important passages I can memorize such as The Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want)? Catholics have Rosary prayers, and I was wondering if there were any prayers that Christians could memorize. I would feel more comfortable if I said some of these prayers/passages throughout the day to make me feel more secure. I carry around my prayer beads and prayer rope all the time. I also say the Jesus Prayer frequently ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."), as well as The Lord's Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, and all of Psalm 23 by memory. I would like to learn more because it makes me feel very comfortable.

As some others have pointed out to you, there's no need to memorize ritualized prayers.

Can I give you some principles that may help you, not only in your prayer life, but in others areas of your walk with Christ, as well?

Christianity is not a legal relationship, it is a love
relationship. Ten thousand “don'ts” will never make you one iota more like the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Himself Who makes you like Him. But you need to spend time with Him. I want to give you five factors for spending some quiet time with Him each day.


The Proper Period

You must find the right time. Your quiet time should last at least half an hour. But some time is better than no time, so if you can’t start at thirty minutes, begin with ten. It should be your very best time. Don't give the Lord your leftovers. And don't try to find time — make time, and make it a priority. Also find time early in the day. Psalm 5:3 says, “… in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” You don't take the trip and then read the map, do you? Spend time alone with God to begin your day.


The Proper Preparation


A quiet time is fellowship with a holy God. There are a few things you can do to be prepared for this time. First, be physically alert. Find a time when the cobwebs are out of your mind and you can think clearly. Second, be mentally aware. Be focused, and know He’s there. Emotion doesn't really have all that much to do with it. And third, be morally pure and clean. Some people don't have a quiet time because they feel uncomfortable looking God in the face with sin in their lives.


The Proper Place

Find a place where you can focus. Jesus said enter into your closet and pray (see Matthew 6:6). That simply means find a place of isolation where you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven. Jesus sought out places where He could be alone, and so should you.


The Proper Provisions


In order to have an effective quiet time, you need the right tools. Here are some tools I use:

• a readable Bible - Invest in one with plenty of room to jot notes in the margins.
• a prayer journal - Expect God to give you something and write it down. Also use it to record things you’re praying about.
• a notepad - Write down your daily assignments.

The Proper Procedure

Finally, may I recommend some procedures to follow in your quiet time?


Get still and quiet.

The Bible says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Focus your mind on Him. Calm down, relax, and recognize His presence. Take a deep breath and focus your thoughts on the Lord.


Get into the Word of God.

It's better to start by reading the Bible than it is to start in prayer. It is more important for you to hear from God, even than for God to hear from you. God already knows all about you, but you need to know a lot more about Him.
Read the Bible for quality and not quantity. It’s good to have a goal to read the Bible through in a year, or a similar goal; but that's not the purpose of your quiet time. Also, devotional books are wonderful. But again, this is not the place for them. This is the time when you simply read the Bible with an open mind.



Meditate.

As you focus on the Word of God and meditate, let it permeate you. Ask:

• Is there a command to obey?
• Is there a promise to claim?
• Is there a sin to avoid?
• Is there a lesson to learn?
• Is there a new truth to carry with me?

Record what God has given you.

Write down what God says to you and what He tells you to do. It doesn't have to be flowery. You're not writing it for publication or to impress other people.


Now you're ready to pray.

When you pray, pour out your soul. Be natural and honest with God. Tell Him how you feel. Pray out loud. It keeps your mind on track and enables you to stay focused.


Begin to share out of your quiet time.

God did not make us to be reservoirs; He made us to be conduits. Tell others what is God is showing you.


Finally, obey what God tells you. Your spiritual train is running on two rails. One is revelation and the other is obedience. And if either rail stops, your train stops. Learn to obey the Word of God.

Hope that helps.

 

[BeLedbyHisSpirit]

Here are some words of Jesus:

Matt 6:5 "And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matt 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Matt 6:7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Matt 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.

 

[Robskiwarrior]

Here are some words of Jesus:

Matt 6:5 "And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matt 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Matt 6:7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Matt 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.

Amen!

Prayer should never take over your life, the love and relationship for your Savoiur should

Keep it simple, keep it honest. God knows your heart. Personally I like to keep my contact with God quiet regular, so I will say a few words to Him now and again during the day, that keeps me open to prayer and to hear him.

I also like to spend some time in the quiet and stillness waiting for the Lord and focusing my affections on Him.

these are my personal ways of praying, you just have to find yours. The moment you start to stress about prayer is the moment you loose the point of it sit back relax and enjoy Its a solid foundation for your Christian life, not something you have to do in a certain way so many times before God will see you as worthy

Prayer beeds for some people are good, they help to keep you focused when praying, just remeber that they hold no power, dont make you any more perfect or godly and that repetitve prayer, though sometimes again can be good, has a danger of falling into ritual and superstition. "Oh I must do 50 of those prayers or something bad will happen..."

Just remeber God wants to talk to YOU, its a 2 way thing, not just you running off a list of memorised words.

 

[JPPT1974]

Thanks as you summed it up
Already my friend! God bless!

 

[ConstanceB]

Do you golf, or shoot hoops? Make things with wood, or fix cars? Write papers, or give reports out loud? Prayer is like those things: The more you practice it, the easier it becomes and the better you are at it.

My mind raced when I tried to pray, or I'd fall asleep. People didn't help when they set stricter rules for me. You know when I finally broke through? When we had a horrible thing happen, and my friends got sick of hearing about it. I thought I'd explode if I didn't talk to somebody. DUH.

I began to pray -- talk out loud to God -- at first when I was driving, because it was the only place I was alone. I felt stupid. But like everybody else, I used to sing with the radio, so I didn't think anybody would see my lips move and freak out. The more I talked out loud to God, the more I knew God was listening. It helped me when a pastor said, "God is omniscient -- he sees and hears everything in your heart. The devil isn't, and only hears what you say. Stick it to him! Call on God."

When I'm tired or so sad I can only cry, I do one of 3 things:

1. I pray what people call "the prayer of Jabez", imagining my family and job etc. while I pray those few words. In I Chronicles 4:10 -- "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. (Some Bibles say "keep me from causing pain"; I say it both ways because that's what I really think.)
2. I read out loud from Psalms or Proverbs and say, "God, this is how I feel. It's my prayer." Here's one, from Psalm 22:11 -- "Do not be far from me, God, for trouble is near and there is no one to help."
3. I decide to believe God tells the truth in Romans 8:26 -- "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." I say honestly that he'll have to do that for me this time.

I hope this encourages you. May God bless you greatly as you grow.

 

[joshnerez]

i say i agree to snoochface.
need not to say more.