Practicing prayer exercises is pursuing and regularly engaging in one-on-one conversations with God.
As Christians, prayer is one of the spiritual disciplines we need to cultivate.
It is also a powerful weapon in our spiritual walk.
But many of our preconceived notions about prayer and our fast-paced lives may prevent us from praying as often as possible.
In this article, we look into prayer exercises we can do to motivate us not just to pray from time to time but to maintain a prayerful life.
What are Prayer Exercises?
Just as we can’t live without breathing, we can’t live as Christians without prayer.
No matter where we are or what time of day, we can take a moment to pray and seek God’s forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, and intercession.
However, many of us do not know how to incorporate the discipline of prayer into our daily lives.
Just as we physically exercise to keep our bodies healthy, prayer exercises are the efforts and measures to ensure we remain spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally connected to God in prayer.
Significance of Prayer Exercises
Build a stronger relationship with God.
For those who have faith in Jesus Christ, prayer is paramount.
Praying is how we have fellowship and conversation with God.
Prayer exercises can help us mature in our faith journey and form a deeper and stronger relationship with our Creator and Savior.
Prayer exercises teach us to be with God regularly to grow in Christlikeness.
Practicing prayer exercises reveals our innermost thoughts and feelings to God, including our hopes, anxieties, and desires.
We open ourselves to His presence, asking for His wisdom and comfort in His love.
We can bring ourselves into harmony with God’s will through prayer exercises and open ourselves up to His transforming power.
Cultivate the spiritual discipline of prayer.
Discipline can be a formed habit but requires more deliberate effort.
Putting forth the effort to do something differs from doing it out of leisure or routine.
Discipline entails showing up even when our moods do not feel like it because we know that the rewards outweigh the discomfort or demotivation.
The question then is, can we make praying a discipline?
The answer is yes.
But the beauty is that God does not impose upon us to be in contemplative prayer all the time, nor does He require strenuous efforts to get to know Him.
God isn’t concerned about the length of time we do prayer exercises.
He encourages us to pray and go to Him confidently, sincerely, and humbly.
He knows that any relationship that starts to feel forced is not the one He wants to have with us.
So, He encourages us to be honest and sincere in our prayers and continue practicing ways to be in union with Him through prayer, such as prayer exercises.
To help contemplate and reflect on our hearts and lives
Our goal in praying should not be to get our desires granted by God.
But prayer is a means of realigning our hearts with His will.
In essence, praying boils down to admitting that we rely on God.
We humbly acknowledge that we rely on His direction, knowledge, and sustenance for our daily existence.
Prayer exercises allow us to share our deepest aspirations and needs with the One who knows us best.
When we pray, we open ourselves to receiving direction and wisdom from Him.
It is a potent weapon for bringing our will into harmony with God’s.
When we do prayer exercises, we ask God to show us the way and what He has in store for our lives.
7 Prayer Exercises you can do
Prayer Walking
A spiritual practice known as prayer walking unites the power of prayer with the physical action of walking.
It can impact your life and the communities you belong to.
Prayer walking in designated areas is a great way to connect with God and ask for His help to navigate life’s challenges and blessings.
Prayer walking is more than simply a physical workout;
it is a spiritual practice that brings us closer to God and strengthens our ability to pray for those around us.
As we engage in prayer walking, we can witness firsthand how God works in our communities, bringing about transformation and renewal.
There is no particular time or place to do prayer walking.
It is something we can do alone or with a group of friends.
Find a peaceful route to walk, have an open heart, and be ready to hear God’s voice.
Keep your heart and mind open to whatever the Holy Spirit may lead you to as you walk and pray.
Remember that the most important thing on a prayer walk is not the distance covered but the deep connection we develop with God.
What matters is that every step we take is intentional, purposeful, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Resting Prayer
Staying calm in prayer can be challenging at times.
We often find ourselves easily sidetracked or distracted.
We usually have a lot going on and find ourselves thinking of the next thing to do instead of intentionally praying.
The best way to pray is when we are calm and relaxed.
Imagine sitting on your front porch, closing your eyes, and saying a prayer.
Psalm 37:7 says,
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.”
Resting prayer does not mean we have to be passive or inactive.
It only means that when we pray, we are quiet, relaxed, and focused on communicating with God.
Gratitude Prayer
We can change our perspectives from negative to positive and strengthen our resolve through a gratitude prayer.
Gratitude prayers are powerful tools to focus on positive things by consistently reflecting on the blessings in our lives and affirming our appreciation for them.
A gratitude prayer allows us to show our thankfulness to God by reminding ourselves of God’s love and faithfulness.
By regularly practicing gratitude prayer, we can find joy and serenity in adversity.
It strengthens our bond with God and helps us stay spiritually healthy.
You can say gratitude prayers in the morning before you start your day or before going to bed at night.
You can also keep a gratitude journal to archive everything you thank the Lord for, which you can go back to at any time.
Prayer of Examen
One way to seek God’s presence and guidance in our lives is to say a prayer of Examen.
The prayer of Examen is a time-honored Christian activity that can shed light on how God is working in our lives.
St. Ignatius Loyola outlined the Examen in his Spiritual Exercises almost 400 years ago to promote prayer-filled mindfulness.
The prayer of Examen is a contemplative reflection on the day’s events, a way to seek God’s presence and understand his will for our lives.
According to St. Ignatius, the Examen was bestowed upon humanity as a gift from God, who desired it to be shared with others.
St. Ignatius made the Examen a required spiritual exercise for the Jesuit order.
They were required to say a prayer of Examen two times a day, at noon and before bed.
At present, there are still a lot of Christians who practice the prayer of Examen.
Prayer and Meditation of Scripture
Sincere obedience to God’s will and ways, as revealed in the Scripture, is the expression of a faithful follower of Christ.
One of the most effective ways to receive the truth of God’s word and be strengthened to obey it is to meditate on His Holy Scripture (Joshua 1:8).
To know God and feel His power working in our lives, it is essential to communicate with Him through prayer and meditation on His word.
We will become more attuned to His presence as we devote time to prayer and meditate on His word.
Therefore, to prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for prayer, we should meditate on God’s word, as revealed in the Bible.
Meditation prepares us to pray by assisting with concentration, understanding, memory, worship, and application.
After all, the Holy Scripture is the basis of our prayer.
Entering the Narrative Prayer Exercise
Entering the Narrative is a prayer exercise known as the Ignatian Method of Prayer.
Conceptualized from St. Ignatius of Loyola, entering the narrative is like a virtual experience of the Bible, where we read passages from the Bible and visualize their meaning or what we understand from them in our minds.
Entering the narrative invites us to immerse ourselves in the story of God’s creation and redemption to understand better and share His thoughts, feelings, feelings, and deeds.
In this exercise, we also pray about our thoughts and feelings ignited by the scene and talk to God about them.
We ask God to help us understand what He intends for us to learn from what we visualize.
Intercession Prayer Exercise
The Bible is filled with passages telling us to pray for other people.
In our time of need, we desire God to impact our lives and the world around us profoundly.
Put another way, intercession is when we pray for the people we care about, asking God to intervene.
Intercession prayers are often something we must continuously do.
It is a selfless act of love that shows how much we care about other people, even if we know little about them.
Being an intercessor calls for humility, trust, and perseverance.
Praying for someone isn’t about attempting to influence God or get our way but rather about conforming to His plan and purpose for their lives as we surrender them to Him.
Through interceding for others, we form a relationship with God, pleading with Him for our friends, loved ones, and brothers & sisters in Christ.
As Christians, we are called to always pray for our neighbors (James 5:16) and love them as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
In Summary
When filled with God’s power, prayer has no limits.
It brings us face-to-face with God, regardless of space, language, or time.
But often, we are too busy doing other things and push aside cultivating the spiritual discipline of prayer.
Through prayer exercises, we remain committed to learning more about God, building a relationship with Him, and deepening our connection with Him.
These are daily exercises we can do, which, in the long run, become integrated prayer exercises in our daily lives.
Practicing prayer exercises is pursuing and regularly engaging in one-on-one conversations with God.
Through prayer exercises, we grow in Christ, become more open to worship God, ask for His forgiveness, grow in empathy, admit our mistakes, and pray for one another.
As Christians, it matters that we yearn and desire to commit ourselves to a life of prayer.
Choose a prayer exercise that works for you, and may God’s presence fill you during your time of prayer!
