How to Pray: An Interfaith Outline

Build your own prayer.

Photo by Luis Alberto Sánchez Terrones

Purification

While not every tradition requires ritual purification, it is helpful to understand its role in prayer for anyone who would like to include it in their personal ritual.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao

Ritual cleansing can include washing the hands and face, or more, even including the feet and is required in the Muslim tradition, and a personal choice in many other traditions.

The purpose of cleansing is to present oneself in the purest state possible before supplicating to the Ultimate Source. Some say cleanliness is next to godliness. It can also be an act of acknowledging one's sin and need to clean or repent from that which has made us dirty. Washing can help to prepare the heart, mind, and energetic state for the posture of prayer.

Posture

There are many postures for prayer to show humility and worship:

• Standing

• Bowing at the waist

• Bowing the head

• Kneeling

• Prostrating with the face to the floor

  
  

There are also hand positions you might take for prayer:

• Arms outstretched upward to the heavens

• Palms together

• Hands cupped together, facing upward for receiving

Invocation

First, the invocation simply recognizes God or your Higher Power. Make it very clear to whom you are speaking. Some like to burn incense or light candles to create a fragrant aroma and a welcoming space for the Divine presence. Take the a moment to create a separation between worldly time and holy time.

Praise

Who doesn't like to receive compliments? You may lavish your Higher Power with compliments and praises. Your praise might also include playing holy music, singing with your own voice, or even dancing. Even the trees and birds praise God through song and dance. Offer whatever is your best, and let it come from the heart.

Scriptures that are meaningful to you may also be read or recited.

Gratitude

Give thanks for what you already have, for your life, for another opportunity to do better, for anything you consider to be a blessing. Don't take anything for granted. Even seemingly small blessings like food, the family member you hate, a healthy body, and shoes are important things to be grateful for, and be mindful of those who might be praying for the things that you already have.

Asking for Forgiveness

We have all fallen short. When you recognize you have done something that is not right, all you have to do is acknowledge it honestly. Pretending that sin doesn't exist or that bad is good will not work. It will only dig you into a deeper hole. God can heal and forgive anything, but only when we acknowledge that something needs to be fixed.

After acknowledging what we have done wrong, then we have to repent or make an attempt to do better. Doing the same thing over and over again and asking for forgiveness shows that we're not actually growing.

The actual sign of a changed heart is changed behavior.

Asking for Divine Guidance

Surrender yourself to God. Ask your Higher Power for guidance. What is God's will for your life? Sometimes, we have an idea of what we wenat, but it is out of alignment with our divine purpose. Ask God for your purpose and for specific instructions about what to do next.

Personal Requests

Now that you have gotten out of your own way, request anything that is on your heart. You can ask for healing, a job, or whatever. Pray with a hopeful attitude. Life and death is in the power of your tongue. Don't be afraid to pray out loud using your voice to speak what you wish into existence.

Prayers for Others

Offer goodwill toward others. Pray for your family, friends, your community, and the world. Even pray for your "enemies" or people you may not like.

Completely avoid negative prayers. Never pray for bad to happen to someone or a group of people. Only offer positive prayers of goodwill, healing, peace, etc. Pray for everyone's well-being.

Be Quiet & Listen for God's Response

This is the part that many people forget. We spend a lot of time singing and praying for what we want, but often forget to listen for God's response and instructions.

So at this point, turn off the music, stop talking, and sit in the quietness. If you're new at sitting in the quietness, it can be difficult at first, but start with 5 minutes and build from there.

Listen for what God is saying to your heart. God will answer every prayer. Sometimes, the answer is yes, sometimes it's wait, sometimes it's no, but offers an alternative. Sometimes, God will give you specific instructions for what to do with a current problem or will reveal to you ways you are falling short and how you can do better.

When you truly surrender to God's will instead of your own, you may even spend more time in listening than speaking, which is the point of meditation.

Closing

Prayers are often closed with a word or phrase to send it off. Some people like to pray in the name of an angel or saint to help strengthen their prayer. Christians often sign off their prayers in Jesus' name, while Jews and Muslims send their prayers directly to God without praying in anyone's name.

The most common last word for prayers is to say Amen or Ameen meaning "let it be." Om, is the sacred sound of the universe that is also used by those practicing eastern traditions.

Photo by Steve Harvey

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