What is prayer? And how do you do it? (Part two) October 9, 2000 Issue

Here's the second part of readers' responses to the question "How do you pray?" In some instances, you'll find nontraditional approaches. In every case, you'll see the good results that come from turning to God in prayer: The first part appeared last week.

LISTEN UP!

Judith Haugan Ryan

I woke one morning feeling very ill. I was afraid. In a matter of hours, I was to fly cross-country on a five-day business trip. In extremity I've always found it helpful to turn to God in prayer for help, and this was no exception. As I reached out to God, the phrase "Listen up!" came to me clearly and strongly.

When I was in high school, one of my chemistry teachers would start every class with the phrase "OK now, people, listen up!" I hadn't thought of this phrase in years. A teacher says "Listen up!" to get the class's attention and to help them focus on the right information instead of on social conversations. So what did I need to listen to? Illness and fear were clamoring for my attention. Paying attention to physical symptoms, listening to what they have to say about us, pulls us away from considering the truth that we are the spiritual offspring of God.

So, "Listen up!" reminded me to lift my thought to God to see what He was telling me about myself, about my spiritual identity as His daughter. I remembered that the Bible states, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him" (Gen. 1:27). If the original is perfect, so is the image.

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What is prayer? And how do you do it? (Part two)

JUST FOR THE JOY OF IT