Praying Often

"Pray frequently and effectually; I had rather your prayers should be often than long."
– Jeremy Taylor, 17th c.

Several decades ago I decided that was I really serious about God. I was so serious in fact that I would prove it to him by my stringent devotion to him. I worked this out–or rather attempted to–by arising at 4:30a to pray for at least an hour. And when I say pray, I do not mean that in the Anglican sense (or other Christian traditions) where the entire Morning Office is your prayer. This was "unstructured prayer" and so it was 60+ minutes of me trying to think of things to say to God while not falling asleep. In the end I could not maintain that schedule and I folded. More than that, I was defeated. Had I heard Jeremy Taylor's words then, I may have changed my approach before I started.

We can fall into the trap of thinking there is a direct proportionality to the time I spend in prayer and its "effectiveness." But that is already a misunderstanding of prayer. We do not approach our Father to earn his favor by our words; he is already gracious towards us and delights in us for we are his children. Prayer, rather, is communion with him. It is being in his presence. Sometimes words do this. Sometimes it may be meditation on Scripture. Sometimes it may simply be "Amen." But as we dare not forego breathing too long for in so doing we deprive ourself of the wind of life, so we should not forego prayer for too long. Just as we need not take every breath as deeply as possible–we may end up being a bit light-headed in fact if we attempt that!–so too every prayer need not be as long as possible. To quote Taylor again, "I had rather your prayers should be often than long."

For some, your prayers may be the entire Office (or Offices) with all corresponding readings and several collects, too. If you have that time, pray also for your brothers and sisters who may have less. For others, your time is restricted due to late work shifts, tired children, or other responsibilities. And though you feel the limits of your time, pray often. You need not pray long. But pray often. This may look like praying the Lord's Prayer for Morning and Evening Prayer. It could look like including the Psalm for that Office if you have a few more minutes. It may look like praying the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

We must start where we are and certainly hope that growth will happen by the Spirit of God. But we need to start where we are. If you find prayer to be difficult or you find it a challenge to make time for it, let's talk. Let's talk because you have need to breathe by the Spirit of God and to do so often.

– Matthew+