Prayer and Praying

What is prayer to you? How do you pray?

Prayer is the most important talk I do. It is the best thing that happens to me as I feel most intimate with God, my creator and saviour, my refuge and strength, my only constant friend.

In recent years, especially the past months, I find myself often in prayer, in solitary, or even amid the maddening crowd. Prayer is extremely appeasing. My praying has become more intense too, as biological days race and tick.


Prayer placates. It keeps me closest to my highest power. It makes me most vulnerable before Him, who I long to be with ... "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar," as one of my favourite poets, Alfred Lord Tennyson, prayerfully puts it. 


As I've reflected on prayer and praying this week at the latest, I dawned upon a scripture verse scribbled in one of my old journals. Pretty much related to my ongoing thoughts. It's a verse found in Matthew 10: 27 and it says: "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs." (NIV)      

Thought and perspective of the verse are mine and you, my readers or friends, are welcome to yours: that aside from talking to God, I need to equally listen, perhaps listen more and carefully. How? I do this by keeping still in earnest, in between my talking.  For if I do not hear Him whilst I pray, what will I speak in the light?

If I am not hearing his caring and loving whispers, what will I proclaim from the roofs?

In other words, reading and meditating on the verse over, I'm reminded not only to talk to God in prayer, but most important and significant, is to hear Him.  

What is my earnest prayer then?  For God to help me hear Him when I pray. For me to keep still and listen, listen intently, that I may hear His voice, His message/s - for days and years to come, for my unknown challenges, for my life.

How about you, my dear friend?  How do you pray? What do you say? When you pray, do you talk, and by the same token, intently listen?