Praying

I had a very sweet discussion with a friend about the differences in the way we pray comparing our own ways to one another. She said that she often asks for things directly, for example: “God please help us with money this month, you know what we need”. Whereas my prayer for money would be more like “Heavenly Father, You created us, You promised us through Your multiple covenants with man and Your ultimate sacrifice –Jesus, that we would be cared for. Scripture tells us that you care for each of us even more than the Ravens yet You provide for them shelter and food, thank You Father for Your many riches and blessings. In Jesus name I Pray.” Now, am I more right or is she? The answer is neither!

We are both praying to God in the best way we know how. We are both forming a relationship with Him by speaking to Him. We are both trusting Him with our problems and giving them to Him. It does not matter how you pray or what you pray for, as long as you are forming a relationship with God on the good days and the bad. His ear is always open to your voice, whether you pray out loud or in your head. Some of us even keep a prayer list and write it down, like a journal to God. It does not matter how you go about this as there really is no wrong way. The only wrong thing is to not do it at all. The more you pray the more riches and blessings you are stocking up for use in daily life! 

Jesus gives us an example on how to pray when He recites for us the “Our Father”. In it, He tells us to give God praise and honor, He tells us to forgive others and treat others how we want to be treated, we are told to confess our sins and to learn from them, best of all we are told that no matter what we do God will always lead us through the hard times. If you have never prayed or don’t know what to pray for that day saying the Our Father is a good way to begin and a good filler for the days where you just can’t think of anything. 

Depending on your faith, you may also be told to recite the “Hail Mary”. I personally LOVE this prayer as I was raised catholic and we often sang it in school with little actions. It is giving thanks to Mary for being the mother of all mothers and giving us Jesus! We often don’t realize all that she must’ve went through being pregnant before marriage back in those times. We read in the bible that many women were stoned for adulterous acts, so for Joseph to accept Jesus and Mary and not allow her to be persecuted by the outside world was really a feat in itself! Had the wrong person found out that Mary was pregnant with Jesus and that this child did not belong to her husband she would have been killed! She risked a lot by accepting God’s challenge for her life and this prayer is to recognize the challenges she must have faced as well as the honor she received from doing this. I doubt that when she gave birth to Jesus that she realized she would go down in history as the mother of our Lord and Saviour! I doubt she thought 2000 years later people would still be praying to her in thanks. She has become an idol of sorts in the Catholic faith because of her selfless act and her supreme faith in God’s plan for her life! 

Our Father “Our Father Who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day Our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Hail Mary “Hail Mary Full of Grace The Lord is with Thee Blessed are thou amongst women And blessed is the fruit of thy womb –Jesus Holy Mary Mother of God Pray for us sinners now And at the hour of our death Amen”