Summer is a time when many of our schedules are discombobulated. Add to this the frenzy of activity that punctuates this time of year with weddings, graduations and other commitments. So it is not surprising I find that about this time in June I crave the regularity and predictability of a schedule. I am also trying to be more regularly about exercise and writing and so have had to rethink my morning routine and this includes my prayer rule.
What is your prayer rule?
1. One of the first decisions to make is when you will pray each day and where. It is easy to underestimate the importance of a fixed time and location. Regularity in schedule and location actually helps to facilitate prayer.
2. How long will you pray? Be realistic, especially if you have never subscribed to a rule of prayer before. The temptation of all of us who desire to grow in our faith is to take on too much, too quickly. The advice of physical trainers is instructive here: incremental increases over time are far more powerful than trying to run a marathon with no training. You can damage your body through physical overexertion; you can also damage yourself through spiritual overexertion. Take it slowly.
3. What will you pray? Begin with the fixed prayers handed down to the church: the Lord's prayer, the Creeds, the Jesus prayer, the Psalms. These fixed prayers, once they become part of our regular practice, become the bedrock upon which faithful "free prayer" is built.
4. How will you be accountable? Share your prayer rule with your spouse, family member or close friend. Ask them to hold you accountable.
As you seek to develop a regular rule for prayer, may the Holy Spirit guide and direct you.
Here is a website with a abundance of information on Prayer
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orthodoxprayer.org/