This is a simple introductory guide for those who are participating in 7-11 Prayer Week:
· “Be still (or cease striving), and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
· “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”Matthew 26:41
To take time to pray and be still is NOT easy. Modern life with all its distractions makes us restless. Our minds are screaming in all directions when we try to be still.
This is one reason why one need to ease it. Don’t be discouraged if you find your first 10 minutes difficult. It’s paradoxical, but it takes effort to be still and rest. In fact, in the first few minutes, you don’t even need to do anything. Just rest.
Then, start with a prayer. Some may sing – or play - a worship song. Or use the order you are familiar with. The Prayer Room will have some pointers as well. Some prefer to use prayer app which can guide a person minute by minute. If you are new to this, I will suggest to try to use one of the apps or programmes. Some may find that they need to take a more than an hour to get into it.
While this Prayer Room may seem new, from time memorial, saints has surrounded themselves with the right environment in order to pray. In fact, nature - creation itself - provides the best environment. It can be difficult to find such a place in this city but there are prayer retreat centers here. Some of you have gone for a guided prayer retreat and can testify how helpful it was. Most of you won’t be able to afford the time for such retreats. This Prayer Room make this experience more assessable.
To be in relationship with our Lord, to hear His voice and to speak to Him is central to our spiritual lives. Indeed, in Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). The Psalms are full of the inner thoughts and prayers of humans who were praising, enjoying, struggling, doubting, wondering in their relationship with God. The full spectrum of our human emotions and journey is caught up in the ancient Psalter. That is also a good place to begin. Our Anglican Daily Office at praydos@web.applays out the daily readings from Psalms.
To guide those who are new, we will prepare a short prayer guide daily for this period. Do feel free to use it. I end here with the Prayer of Si Aidan:
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore
Make me an island, set apart, alone with you, holy to you
Then with the turning of the tide,
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again
and fold me back to you.
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