by Amanda Er
Often we may find ourselves struggling with prayer, not knowing what to say, what to do or constantly finding it impossible to be still. If that is your struggle, you’ll be relieved to know that prayer is not as restrictive as you may have grown up with. There are many creative ways to pray and add a whole new richness and depth to prayer life. Here are 7 ways to revamp your prayer life!
1. Prayer Wall
Just as the name suggests, a prayer wall is simply a wall filled with prayers. You can choose to dedicate a section of your bedroom wall (or a wall in the living room if you plan to do this as a family activity) to this prayer station. Get creative! You are free to use anything as your prayer wall, be it a fridge, tree, or any random household object. Pin prayers onto your wall, and watch it visually fill up over time. As your prayers get answered, you may replace your answered prayer with a thanksgiving prayer. The prayer wall will become your source of joy and hope, as our faithful Lord is one who says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7
2. Promise Jar
A promise jar is meant to be filled with God’s promises to us. These are reminders of God’s love and faithfulness in our lives. When our sin and humanness distort our vision of God and of ourselves, these jars can serve as a reminder of the truth in our lives and shine light into the darkness of our hearts. Fill it with encouraging words, bible verses, song lyrics, poems, pictures or even messages from the Lord. Come back and read them whenever you need a pick me up!
3. Colour in Rosary
There is no doubt that the rosary is one of the favourite ways to pray for us Catholics. After all, who else to bring us closer to Jesus than His Mother? However, as much as we love Mary and Jesus, the rosary can become a chore if we turn it into a meaningless recitation instead of a purposeful prayer. For more visual people like myself, a fun way to pray the rosary would be to colour and pray! Print out a Colour in Rosary. As you pray, write an intention for each decade of the rosary and colour in the beads of the rosary.
“The rosary is a weapon for these times.” – St. Padre Pio
How right you are St Padre Pio! In a world like ours today that is filled with hurting people and lost souls, the need for prayer has become more urgent than ever before. Lord, open our eyes to see the power that prayer can have in our lives.
4. Prayer Walk
Go out, take your bible, journal and pen to a nice quiet area. With the pace of which we live our lives and the constant ‘doing’, the art of thinking and focusing on a singular thought has long been forgotten. You would be surprised with how much can happen if we begin to practice conversing with God in a focused and deliberate manner. What better way to have a conversation with an old friend than a nice walk around the nearby park?
5. Art
Can’t find the words to pray? Sometimes, I feel like a failure when I set my mind to sit down to pray, but end up having nothing to say and give up after 5 minutes. Art can be used to pray in a creative way! Allow God to inspire your art and hand, and reveal truths in the most fascinating way. Perhaps keeping a journal for these pieces of art can be your form of prayer.
A quick example of how I do it is as follow
Draw 3 images that best answer these questions:
- How do I feel today?
- What am grateful for today?
- What is Jesus telling me today?
6. Podcasts and YouTube Channels
Attention all iPhone users! Do you make use of the podcast app in your phone? Other than listening to music, there are so many podcast channels available for you to tune into on your bus rides. Here are some to get you started:
