Tag Archives: prayer

The Beauty of Prayer

Image by Franz Bachinger from Pixabay

I want to share this beautiful poem about prayer by the Native American poet, Joy Harjo. It was not titled by the poet.

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you
And know that there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always a sound but other 
Circles of motion
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care 
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we 
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning 
Inside us. 
We pray that it will be done
In beauty. 
In beauty.

Thanksgiving Prayer

My dear God, thank you for all of the blessings and gifts that I have; that I have had; and that I may have in the future.

But most of all, thank you for your love and compassion, not just for me, but for all of your human children.

May each person strive to love all people around the world without prejudice, fear, or favoritism.

How Does One Sustain a Spiritual Outlook?

Sunrise at Goblin Valley

A friend recently asked me, “How does one sustain their spirituality?” The answer to that question will be somewhat different for each person. Some may say that participation in religious practice and/or community are needed to sustain one’s spirituality. Those things can have role, but what we’re addressing here is a continuity of spirituality throughout everyday of our lives.

For me, spirituality is not only a way of living, but also a state of mind. It is that state of mind or spiritual presence that is the key to sustaining one’s spirituality. In some ways it is like being in a constant state of prayer or contact with God and the spiritual realm.

As we move through our day, we should always be silently expressing our gratitude and thanks for every little thing we see, experience, and receive. We should strive to always be present and to take notice of the many expressions and beauty of God all around us. We should allow feelings of love and compassion to come forth naturally, unfiltered by the intellect or prejudice.

When we do these things; when we allow our spirit to express and commune with God and His holy spirits, we find ourselves in a constant state of grace, happiness, and bliss.

An Expression of the Spirit

Many Facets, Many Views From httpthewordwhisperer2-blogspot-com

Many Facets, Many Views
From thewordwhisperer2-blogspot.com

My dear God,

I ask for your guidance,
and for the strength, determination, and courage
to serve you to the best of my ability,
at all times, without fail,
in any manner you ask of me,
without hesitation or fear.

My only desire is to serve and honor you
by expression of my spirit
through continual acts of love,
compassion, and healing.

This is my heart’s desire.
This is who I wish to be.
This is who I am.
This is who I have always been and always will be.
This is my purpose in this life and the next.

Lord hear my prayer!

You might also like to see the following related articles:

Prayer: Spiritual or Self-Serving
Shall the Meek Inherit the Earth?
Prayers for Harmony

Prayer: Spiritual or Self-Serving?

Lord, please hear my prayer! Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Lord, please hear my prayer!
Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Prayer, for most of us, is the primary means by which we communicate with God. The question is: what should we be saying when “speaking” with Him?

It seems that many who pray use it mostly to ask for things they want, even though God has already provided what they need. This is in keeping with the self-centered, materialistic mind-set of society today.

Why should one ask for more than they need when there are so many around the world who are barely able to scratch out the most basic existence? To ask for more when we already have enough, may be offensive to God. He has a life plan for each of us and He will provide precisely what we need to support that life plan and the service to which we have been called.

I question the value of saying prayers prescribed by a religion in a long chain over and over again. The repetitive nature of this form of prayer can quickly make the process one of a mindless drone. If the first repetition was said from the heart with sincere and conscious intent, then enough said.

Saying the same prayer again and again is not likely to give it greater force. In fact, it may even have a negative effect. Who wants to hear the same thing over and over? Soon one stops listening. When you say a single prayer with all of your heart and soul, it will be heard throughout all of the heavenly spheres with clarity and power.

And praying should not be restricted to time spent at one’s place of worship. Prayer should be an ongoing, frequent, daily practice said anywhere at any time. This is especially true for prayers of thanks. As a continuous process, prayer is a spiritual presence of mind where one is always aware of the presence of God in all things.

We should not make “promises” to God such that if He gives us X, then we promise to change our ways or do Y. Instead, we should attend to how we live on a daily basis, and always treat others with kindness. Then we will be rewarded without asking.

We are all human with limited ability to protect ourselves from harm and to cope with pain and suffering. If we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, or we suffer from some malady, prayer can often bring the help and strength we need to endure.

When we ask for material things for ourselves, prayer becomes a hollow self-serving exercise that may fall upon deaf ears. However, prayer becomes an expression of our spirit when we use it to give thanks for what God has chosen to give us, to ask for help for others, and to seek guidance concerning how we can be better human beings.