(06/40) How to Pray

For the last few weeks, The 77% Weekly has featured the homespun and wonderful Simple Prayers that my friend Larry wrote. [Thank you, thank you, thank you, Larry — Brian.]

Fittingly, I'd like to share with you a little of what I know about prayer and then give you some simple, straightforward directions on how to pray.

A few notes on prayer:

• There are actually fewer rules than you might have presupposed with regard to prayer.
• Prayer isn't always about asking.
• Prayer can be about gratitude or just having some honest time with (the) God (of your understanding).
• Real prayer effects the pray-er. (You don't have to believe in an external, active diety to pray — really.)
  
• You don't even have to like your prayer when you are done with it.

How to pray:

• Start out by naming God with whatever name you want to use to identify that which cannot be named: "Higher Power," "HaShem," "Jesus," "Allah," "Jevovah," "Tao," "Mother," etc. (You don't have to always use the same one.)
• Pause.
• Send your active mind to do a quick survey of how you feel, give some attention to your physical body, your thoughts, and your emotions.
• Breathe.
• Repeat the name you’ve chosen for God.
• Let go of your inner critic and just allow yourself to start talking either aloud or in your heart.
• Pause.
• Breathe.
• Optional: say, "Amen." (Amen comes from the Hebrew root word for “faith.” It is customarily said as an expression of concurrence.)

The first time you do this — if this is not something that you are used to doing — it will feel awkward. But, as they say about push-ups, "You only get good at 'em by doing 'em."

The idea of directly addressing God felt like an anathema to me for years. And, I will tell you that when I'm "alone" and do so, I still feel goofy. Larry's Simple Prayers really inspired me.

And now, I'm praying — not rote Hebrew prayers, but improvised, heart-felt prayers — more than ever before.

And, so, fittingly, let me conclude this issue of The 77% Weekly with a prayer:

God.
Thank you.
Thank you for all the many blessings in my life.
Thank you for my wife and my son.
Thank you for being with me on this journey — in my life as a while and in this somewhat eclectic ministry.
I'm really happy these days.
That's it.
Thanks again.

Brian

With love,

Rabbi Brian

And, if you care to, click here to see comments on the streetprophets site where this article also went up this week.