Does Your Prayer Life Need a Change of Pace?

I have a sunny friend who knows how to celebrate life. Shannon brings a lot of energy to all she does. Whether she is planning a dinner party, an outing or making a quilt, my friend puts enthusiasm and creativity into the event. So it was no surprise as I began to spend time praying with Shannon, my pray time was enriched.

What is prayer?

Simply put, it is communication with the Divine. In prayer we are dealing in the spiritual dimension. If we limit prayer to prescribed prayers or formulas we will miss the full benefit prayer has to offer. Although it may be comfortable to pray in a routine way, when we leave the routine and engage with God in a fuller more vital way, our prayer life can only be enlarged and deepened.

How can we do that?

One simple yet powerful way to invigorate your prayer life is to prayer in agreement or in the same mindset or with the same goal as another. The Bible promises us power when it tells us that ... "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20.

There is power in prayer that is prayed in agreement. Agreement is an expression of unity and the text in Mathew is placed in the context of a process that is able to restore unity in the church.

For people who have never prayed with a partner or in a group it can be intimidating but worth the effort. The first time I prayed aloud with another person was during a Bible study prayer time. We were paired off with another person and given a list of prayer requests. I had prayed alone silently to God, but I had never spoken a prayer aloud. I was so overcome with emotion I could only sob. Fortunately the woman I was praying with was compassionate and understood my tears. I decided it wasn't a bad experience, just powerful. Having the woman help me through the prayer time that day took the edge off my fear. Over the years as I prayed more often with others I relaxed and lost my fear.

Another way to invigorate your prayer life is to get your whole body involved. It is a proven fact when people engage their body along with their mind they learn easier. That is why as when we teach little children, if we teach them with a song or a dance as part of a learning activity they are more likely to remember it. I learned the books of the Bible by singing them. I remember more if I take notes than if I sit just and listen, even if I never look at the notes again.

There is something about getting the body involved with prayer that not only gets you out of your routine but allows you greater expression. There are several ways my friend Shannon taught me to engage my body in prayer; worship dance, prayer walking and walking a prayer labyrinth.

Worship dance is a beautiful expression of praise. I learned a very simple dance with Shannon after she had joined a praise dance team. Shannon appealed to me to remember being a child and forget what I looked like. She told me to just allow myself to be open and humble before the Lord. She encouraged me to express honor and praise to the Lord through dance. I can recite the Psalms or sing a praise song, but nothing compares to forgetting yourself in praise and dancing before the Lord.

One morning I began my day with a short dance of praise before I went to work. I danced to a song by the David Crowder Band, I will Not Be Silent Anymore. For me the song is about losing your fear of sharing your faith. It was the cry of my heart as I left for work. That day I was able to comfort a woman who had just lost her grandmother. I was also able to share the gospel with her and she made a confession of faith. Later that day as I reflected I realized that God had answered the prayer of my heart and had opened my mouth and given me the words to speak to the woman. My dance was a prayer He had answered. I realized worship dance could be more than a means of praise but also intercession.

Prayer walking, on the other hand, can incorporate praise but most often prayer walking is done as a form of intercession or prayer on behalf of another. It is used by missionaries as a process when they seek to enter a mission field and begin to share the gospel. They start with prayer before they open their Bible to share its content. They start with prayer before they open their mouths to share their faith. They will walk through the streets of the city and pray for the people they encounter without speaking to or engaging with them. It is like a farmer plowing the soil, turning it over, breaking it up and preparing it to take a seed. One might think of the Battle of Jericho when the Israelite walked around the wall of the city day after day before they besieged the city. (Joshua 6) Prayer walking is preparation for or a means to fight spiritual battles.

Walking a prayer labyrinth is passive when compared to prayer walking. Shannon introduced me and a group of friends to this prayer experience at a local Methodist Church that has a beautiful outdoors prayer labyrinth under the shade of large Live Oaks trees. Unlike a maze that is meant to trap and confuse a person, a labyrinth moves you to the center of the circular design and then back out. Although the path twist and turns back on itself there are no wrong turns. As long as you continue to walk you will reach the center. With this in mind Shannon asked us to walk the labyrinth and be open to God's presence. She asked us to allow Him to speak. We were to practice silent or listening prayer as described in the book Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Prayer is a two way conversation. Walking a prayer labyrinth teaches a person to listen for God's still small voice.

God spoke to all of us that day individually but also corporately. The message was of the same nature yet we all expressed it uniquely. He spoke to us about our lives being intertwined, but also how we sometimes journeyed together and sometimes journeyed apart. He showed us we were all heaven bound and assured us we would all be together in the end. We all would eventually come home and be at rest. It gave us all comfort because my friend Shannon at the time of our prayer session was preparing to move to France. We were all sad and dealing with the loss of a good friend.

For me when Shannon left, she left a legacy of prayer and an enriched prayer life. I have never been the same for knowing her or spending time in prayer with her. The things I learned from her are so valuable I wanted to share them with you.