Some Helpful Pathways for Conversation with God

Conversation with God is the foundation of everything else – and he is constantly speaking! Before we ever say a word of prayer or read a word in scripture, God is reaching out to us in grace.  We humans were created for relationship with our Creator, and our hearts are restless until we rest again in him.

Over the centuries, the followers of Jesus have responded to God’s initiative in a variety of ways. Prayer with God is a relationship to develop, but like any relationship makes use of helpful pathways and methods. Learning techniques like ‘active listening’ help our human relationships; in the same way the approaches that follow are methods that countless others have found helpful.

May you rest in Jesus more fully each day, and find in him the restoration we all so greatly need!

The "Jesus Prayer" – in many of the Eastern churches (e.g. the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe), the words of a blind beggar to Jesus (Mark 10:47) become a rich, simple prayer for any of us at any moment of the day: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!”

• On any particular day, any particular moment, different words will touch your heart more. Let this become rich food for mind-full prayer, not just a mindless mantra.
  
• More on this at the St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary website “Saying the Jesus Prayer” – but really, just go pray before you go Googling to read more.

Praying the Lord’s Prayer – a child can do this, but a lifetime will not exhaust its riches.  Jesus himself taught us this prayer! Speak out to God one phrase at a time, and the pray along the lines suggested by that phrase. 

For more ideas on very simple prayer, here is a British ministry with solid helps: https://www.24-7prayer.com/simpleprayerideas

• Martin Luther’s “Garland Prayer”:  a succinct summary of this straightforward approach here.
  
• “Quiet Time”: a variety of helpful approaches collected by a Presbyterian church in NYC here. 

• Fridays @11am we gather on Zoom for conversational prayer. You can join in praying or just listen
  
• Sunday mornings @9:30am we gather for both prayer together and teaching: Facebook Watch Party

Want a bible on your phone? The ESV Bible app is readable, has good search function, and helpful reading plans. (Android; Apple)

Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals is another helpful app for stepping into rhythms of prayer. (Android; Apple)

PrayerMate is built to offer prayer prompts, both your own and some ready-made resources. (Android; Apple)

Books with Prayers (aka 'Devotionals')

• The Songs of Jesus, by Tim Keller (Print; Kindle; Library) - This is a marvelous introduction to praying the Psalms, with one-page guides for each day of the year.
  

Other Books on Prayer:

• The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying the Our Father, by Wesley Hill (Print; Kindle; Library) - A rich exploration of the words of this prayer, Hill draws out the significance of each phrase for our lives of prayer today.
  
• Prayer, by Richard J. Foster (Print; Kindle) - If you only had one book on prayer (besides the bible itself), this would be the one. In rich conversation with the global and historical Church, this book is one we continue to pull off our shelves repeatedly over the years. Each chapter explores one approach or element of prayer.