Prayer Experiments

For the past few months I have been experimenting with different forms and expressions of prayer, especially those that are not commonly found in the charismatic tradition I have been raised in. While those who have come out of a liturgical background (many of my friends) might find liturgical prayer a real turn-off, stirring up memories of religious repetition and perhaps a level of boredom and frustration, I have found such prayer intriguingly rich, perhaps because of its uniqueness and freshness for me personally. I never thought I would be one to appreciate such forms of prayer, I have been pleasantly surprised! While on one hand I do see where liturgical prayer could digress into thoughtless, heartless words being read, I have, on the other hand, enjoyed the intentionality of the words, praying the Scriptures, the space provided by simply praying and listening without the pressure to think of new words to say, the unity that is experienced when many people are lifting the same prayer focus to the Lord, and the consistent call to prayer (e.g. The Divine Hours). I still very much enjoy and am most comfortable in an atmosphere of a trusting, free-flowing style of spontaneous prayer, but I have found that liturgical prayer does not have to be competitive or replacing, but complementary; does not have to be hollow, empty, or a rambling of words, but can be an enriching and life-giving expression of communion with God.