Prayer is one of the greatest possible things to do, no matter what the occasion. In thanksgiving, in times of trouble, or even just daily. I mean, how else is someone going to form a relationship with God?
I like to think of prayer as a conversation. Some might think of prayer as like a super formal thing that might start with a "Dear Lord Holy Jesus..." and that's totally fine! But when I think of prayer, it's casual. I find it easier to talk to God when I'm talking the way I would to my best friend.
Prayer may not always mean asking for something you need. It might just be telling God what you did today, and what you saw, or heard, or ate. You could thank God for these things, I mean he did make them possible.
When I went to DCYC this summer, I went to a lecture/talk/thing that taught me more about prayer than I anticipated to learn at a youth conference. At first, I didn't really want to go because I figured prayer was simple enough that I didn't need to know about it. But then I thought, maybe there's a bigger picture behind prayer... maybe it's not as simple as I believed it to be.
Here's some of my notes from that talk:
People tend to run away from prayer because of the difficulty in being able to touch, see, and feel God. God wants is to be part of his "family" and be comfortable speaking with him.
Some things can make prayer impossible and more difficult such as sin, our make-up, and ourselves. Sin makes us want to retreat because we are ashamed, even though God is calling you to take away those sins through reconciliation. Our make-up; who we are as a person and how we feel about ourselves. Some may feel that they are "unworthy" to be in the presence of God and we need to reject the lie that you are not worthy/holy enough to pray. We as people can make prayer difficult with the relationship we have with God.
I also learned that there are multiple kinds of prayer.
1) Personal Prayer- The way this prayer goes is up to the person themselves.
2) Liturgical Prayer (public prayer)- A set prayer, such as as Mass.
3) Popular Devotions- Rosaries, chaplets, devotionals...
Something people must remember is that after a prayer YOU HAVE TO LISTEN. Prayer is a two-way street, and you have to shut up and listen to your friends once in a while, don't you?
It's also awesome to have saints intercede in your prayers, they basically are a direct line to God. It's like having all of heaven pray for you.
Prayer is a discipline, and nobody said it was easy.
Having trouble praying?
Seeking other things like nature and art can serve as a distraction that contains the grace of God. Some good options could be listening to music, singing, maybe taking a walk to observe the beauty of God.
Having trouble listening?
Practice definitely makes perfect. God can respond in many different ways like through other people, through scripture, and many more things. It might not always be super direct, just make sure you pay attention!
Can't feel anything when you pray?
You might see people who have intense feelings during prayer, maybe during Eucharistic adoration. It's totally normal if you do of don't. Feelings do come and go; they aren't always steady. During prayer, I've fallen asleep, laughed, cried, and been as angry as possible. It's totally normal.
Once you begin to pray, the life of God increases in your own life.
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