Let’s be honest: all of us have probably struggled with prayer. We know how important and encouraging it can be, helping to bring peace and comfort to situations of distress or uncertainty. But sometimes it can be difficult finding time and energy to commit to prayer.
We recently asked some of our members for their favourite prayers and ways to pray. Here are some of their ideas to encourage you in your prayer life.
"I really like the Daily Office in the Church of England. I like how it immerses me in scripture and that it has a uniting feature, to be praying the same thing as hundreds of people all around the world." – Kenneth Wilkinson-Roberts
"I find that praying the Daily Offices and incorporating periods of silent prayer into them is very helpful. Eucharistic devotion can also be a very moving way to pray." – Alex Taylor
"Both prayer in the style of Taizé and the Lord's Prayer. Taizé prayer because it focuses me on scripture and helps me feel connected to the Taizé community. The Lord’s Prayer because for me it encapsulates the central elements of prayer.". – Gemma King
"The rosary, especially the joyful and sorrowful mysteries. It's structured enough to be both grounding and freeing for me (I really struggle to pray in/with words)." – Shannika Shani-Frid Ranasinghe
"I pray the rosary but can never remember the various mysteries, oops! I don't have the memory or brain spoons to remember prayers beyond a Hail Mary or a Glory Be – even the Lord's Prayer is a bit much sometimes. So it's the short prayers I stick to!" – Jade Constable
"I pray the rosary too. I use the Jesus prayer or some other short chant instead of the Hail Mary. I sometimes use the mysteries, but most of the time I just go around the beads with 5 things I want to take to God myself." – Ben Atkinson
"I like to find a short verse, or a short phrase, and say it over and over and over again for several minutes. Breathe out while saying it; breathe in while really thinking about it/sitting with it/exploring its meaning. It's both calming and incredibly instructive.". – Lykara Ryder
"One year during Lent I took up several Ignatian practices, like the Examen and review of the day. I found it incredibly liberating, although I don't do it nearly often enough now. I also often struggle to pray with words, so the feeling of sitting in a familiar kind of silence with God and not needing to speak to be understood was something I found really beautiful." – Taylor Driggers
"I find it quite hard to do extemporary prayer so I tend to use some kind of liturgy - whether it's the daily offices or Iona liturgies." – Debbie White