Do you ever feel a bit awkward explaining to technical support a problem with your computer? “Well, there’s this whirring noise, no, more like a whoosh … I think it’s coming from the motor thing, no, not the fan, the … motherboard. I think.”
When you don’t know the right words, it’s hard to communicate. That’s why our prayer life lags some times. There’s just something we need to say but we don’t know the right words. I have two suggestions. First, just blurt out whatever’s on your mind. Even if it doesn’t make sense the Holy Spirit is so smart that he’ll translate it for you.
Another option is to get yourself a prayer book. Praying prayers written by others can take you to new worlds and give you new words to express familiar concerns in just the right way. One prayer book I’d recommend is called, “Prayers for People under Pressure,” by Donald L. Deffner. Here are a few excerpts. Pray these today.
From “Expect the Unexpected,”
Let me face the new
with excitement
rather than tension
with interest
rather than dread
with irony and humor
rather than fear
with stimulation
rather than feeling threatened (p. 21)
From “Ready to Live – Ready to Die,”
The pastor turned around
at the altar and said
“And now let us pray
for the next one among us
who will die …”
Empower me
with your Holy Spirit
to be always prepared
for my own death
To live as though
I were going to die
tomorrow
or even today
but to work
for you
as if I had
a thousand years
to go (pp. 23,24)!
From “That More Excellent Life”
Lord thank you
for the gift of memory
with its moments
of delight
for the joys of yesteryear
which compensate
for the distresses
of today
But grant me
an avowed distaste
for living in the past
when opportunities for service
that more excellent life!
beckon me
in your world
today
FURTHER MEDITATION: Do you have a prayer book? Find it quickly, or search for it and dust it off. Use it for a few days and see how God stirs you. If you need a prayer book, click on the link above for “Prayers for People Under Pressure” and get yourself a copy.