“I just sit down, close my eyes and pray.”
This is easier said than done for most of us. When I sit down to pray, I’m bombarded by at least ten items on my to-do list. When my kids sit down to pray, they are unfocused because they were playing a video game a few minutes earlier. When my wife sits down to pray in church, she’s distracted by the people behind us who are talking.
Our minds are crowded places.
As a result, prayer is not easy. We need some tools to help us pivot and then refocus on God. Instead of feeling badly about this, I suggest we embrace it.
These tools are myriad- using a pair of rosary beads, taking deep breaths, closing our eyes, etc. Finding the ones that work for you is a martial art. The Saints use multiple means to draw closer to the Lord and no two Saints are the same.
A classic tactic for easing into prayer is the use of a journal. I’ve written about this many times on the blog. It’s simple- in the morning, take five minutes to write in your journal. Either pour out your thoughts into the page or use the ACTS formula, incorporating journaling into your prayer. As a reminder, ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. By writing a few thoughts under each of those headings, you’ll be well on your way in prayer.
Something I’ve been trying out lately is freeform writing. Others call this free association writing and it’s actually quite effective as you lead into prayer. It certainly blurs the lines between serving as a primer for prayer or for prayer itself. Don’t feel like you have to figure that distinction out- just go with it.
An Example in Real Life
Here’s how it might look on any given day in my journal:
Lord
God
Trinity
Father
Spirit
Redeemer
Friend?
Savior
Praise you
Grateful
But worried
Anxious
Anxiety
Sleeping less
Woke up
Dreamt of others
Couldn’t get back to sleep
Alone
Dark
Morning
Grateful
Moments ahead
Now
Quiet
Walk the dog
That can wait
Hungry
Thirsty
Back to writing
Birds outside
Warm inside
Journal
Writing
Prayer
Breathing
Sitting
Stillness
Here
Effects of Freeform Journaling
The effects of something like this are profound. By giving myself permission to paint “out of the lines”, freeform journaling is freeing, no pun intended. You’ll feel more creative, more artistic and it could be that God will loosen you up.
This loosening up is so important. Let’s face it, we can be tight when we approach God in prayer. This is sort of like visiting an upscale mall- you feel as if you should dress up for the visit.
Not so with God. He wants us as we are- the good, the bad and the ugly. Come on people- he sees the ugly anyways so why are we trying to hide it from him when we pray? It’s better to approach God humbly, as one who is looking forward to our visit.
I was once asked by a college student if God gives priority to the prayers of the Saints versus those from a “regular Joe”. I told the student that I have no idea but what I am certain of is this- God is delighted whenever we pray with an honest and simple heart. That much I know. And that gives us confidence to approach the throne of Grace, over and over again. God loves that and we can learn to love that too.
At first, you might find freeform journaling strange. Give yourself permission to try it. You could use freeform writing once in a while, whenever you feel like it or straight out for a whole week.
I suspect that, like me, you’ll begin to incorporate freeform writing as a primer for more intimate prayer.