I was browsing books for February: trying to decide on a book on spirituality when I ran into a stack of books 50 Ways to Pray by Teresa A. Blythe. It put me to thinking, “How many ways have I prayed in the past few months?” I’ve prayed often in these past months but I’ve definitely not mixed it up very much. I do prayers in worship, I have conversational prayers with God, and I do intercessory prayer (praying over lists of specific people and their needs). Do I really need to pray in more ways than that?
I probably don’t need to pray a certain number of ways, but as I think back to times I have prayed using Lectio Divina or other prayer practices: my prayer life was enhanced by using ‘other’ forms of prayer. It helped me to experience God in new ways. Sometimes, it just helped me to slow down and relax with God.
If you are like me, you might sometimes fall into a routine that’s comfortable and that’s not a bad thing, but sometimes we get Holy Spirit surprises when we break out of our routine.
During the month of February I would like to share some books on prayer. If you would like to borrow one of my books, they will be outside of the office. Just sign the book out.
Maybe, you’ll find a prayer practice that is new and –you never know– maybe if you break out of your routine God will surprise you?
