If you are anything like me, you will often find yourself incapable of praying for various reasons. These reasons may include fears of inadequacy, concerns about saying the wrong thing, ineloquence, or simply feeling selfish. Praying when you don’t know how to is something all Christians face at some point. Despite these challenges, I have one piece of advice for both you and myself – pray anyway!
The only beings that don’t want us praying are those whose eternity is already set—the devil and his demons. All temptation to not pray and all fears that arise in us when we come to pray, which may prohibit us, come directly from these principalities. They do not want to see their kingdom diminished through the power of prayer.
As Catholics, and indeed most Christians, we have a wealth of resources to help us with this. Therefore, let’s consider the tools the church has to assist us in prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
First and foremost, this must be the primary recourse for anyone discussing prayer. When we feel we can’t pray, we have the model of prayer given to us directly by Christ Himself. So, how can we use this in those moments when we feel incapable of praying?
Recite.
The Our Father can be used when we simply do not know how to pray, simply through its recital. Now, you may ask, “But what about praying for family or our circumstances?” This is where the Holy Spirit’s role in prayer comes into play. As the scripture says, “When we do not know what to pray for as we ought, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.” We can recite the Lord’s Prayer and any pre-written prayers left to us from the faithful departed, and let the Spirit intercede our hearts’ intentions when we can’t find the words to say. When words fail us, using prayers handed down to us can help us to pray.
Use as a model
There is a clear model to the Lord’s Prayer, many have highlighted this throughout the centuries and they use this as a template for prayer. Let’s briefly recap these insights:
“Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name”
This opening of the Lords prayer addresses God, acknowledges who He is and praises him.
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is heaven”
Praying for God’s will to come to pass. This could be praying for intentions such as blessings for your family or health, that His will may be done in these areas of your life.
“Give us this day our Daily bread”
Praying for divine provision for you life.
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”
Remembering to be contrite, seeking forgiveness for our sins, and forgiving others in turn. Praying for those who sin against us.
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Praying for Gods guiding to keep us walking in the light.
Application
Therefore, you can see this pattern: Praise God; Pray for His will in your life; Ask for provision; Ask for forgiveness; and Ask for God’s leading. These elements do not have to be in this order, and there are many ways people have formulated these. One method I learned, which has stuck with me, is ACTS:
A – Adoration – Giving God praise and worship.
C – Confession – Being contrite and asking for forgiveness
T – Thanksgiving – Thanking God for what he’s done
S – Supplication – Specific prayer requests.
Having a model or outline like this memorized can really help with praying. You don’t have to say paragraphs for each section; just a sentence will do. So, a prayer using this outline could look as simple as:
Lord God, You are holy, Good and Just.
I am sorry for wandering from you in my sin (specifics if desired e.g for lusting)
Thank you that hold me in your hands and have lead me so far and kept me safe
Please keep my safe, in good health and bless my friends and family. Amen.
And you’re done! Simple, honest prayers are often the most profound and beautiful. We need not get discouraged by our lack of eloquence or ability. This applies to both private and public prayer. The simpler we keep our prayer, the more likely we are to pray. Get confident in small prayers; no matter our disposition, we can do that.
Conclusion
I really wanted to delve into more ways the Church, particularly in the Catholic tradition, helps with prayer. These will need to be separate posts. However, what we should take away from this is that we need to pray anyway, and we can recite prayers handed down to us when words fail us and rely on the Spirit’s intercession. Alternatively, we can use these prayers as models and craft simple prayers using templates exemplified by those gone before us.
I hope this helps in a small way with your prayer life. Now, go and pray!