Teach Us to Pray

“God is great. God is good. Thank you for this food. Amen!”

That’s how I learned to pray! :) 

And who could forget this terrifying bedtime classic…

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

That always had me dreaming of waking while being pulled through the pearly gates!

When the disciples asked the Christ, “Teach us to pray.” I always thought they were witnessing the impact of prayer on his life and were interested in tapping into that same power source. Like, “Teach us the secret to connecting to God, so we have the inside track.”

This sounds a little different…

“As the leader of his movement, Jesus’ followers looked to him to tell them what they needed to know and do in order to fulfill their obligations. So when they asked him to "teach" them to pray, they were, in effect, saying, what is the minimum prayer we can say and be confident that we have fulfilled our obligation? Since the Amidah was considered by that time to be in the category of an obligatory prayer, and since there are so many parallels between them, it is safe to say that this is the prayer upon which Jesus based his reply to the disciples.” R. Levine, Jewish scholar.

In part 6 of the Christ Consciousness series, we’re discussing Matthew 6:5-15. In it, Jesus talks about not praying like the hypocrites, and we cover what that means along with the Amidah prayer. Click Here for the Video.

The Prayer of the 4 Directions

In shamanic and native american traditions (along with many others), spiritual practitioners align with the four directions to connect to the Creator. 

Learning from them, I designed a personal prayer of the four directions. I’m sharing it not so that you would have the same practice but to encourage you to learn from other traditions and create a prayer pattern for yourself. 

Each morning, I pray and face:

East - this represents the new day as the sun rises, and I give thanks. I ask Spirit to be alive and to awaken me in every way. I ask for guidance for the day and trust that it will arrive as needed. 

South - this represents the physical aspects to me. I give thanks for my body and mind. I ask for the courage to make wise food and exercise choices that will help my brain and body honor the Creator and to be light to the world. (This is a constant battle since I am not fully surrendered! LOL!)

West - this represents the emotional parts of life. I ask that the limitless spiritual emotions of love, joy, and peace be my constant state and companions. That the limiting emotions of fear, greed, and pride be recognized and shifted if they come up. (Of course, the emotions of fear, anger, jealousy, etc could be added, but I usually mention the ones most relevant to me.)

North - awe, mystery, and wonder. I thank the Artist and Author as I stand amazed at the beauty of the earth, wind, sky, water, and all of creation. 

I close by asking for a blessing on the day and to make a positive contribution to the world.

Here’s a video talk-through of the Prayer of the Four Directions.

Positive Psychology

This week, three videos came out of conversations with friends and clients…

Does your mind run crazy with negative thoughts? Here’s something to try.

Do you feel like a beginner while everyone else is a pro? Here’s a different perspective.

Should you be following your dreams? Here are four options.

Blessings!

Paul

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