A good and beautiful prayer can last for a moment: just the time to say thank you or please.”
The one who regularly prays can calm more easily all those thoughts that turn in the head like a carousel, as an article of the Conference of German Bishops explains . How to get there, what to say and what to avoid when praying: Here are ten tips for a successful prayer.
1 – Find the right place
Taking into account what is possible, try to find a quiet place to pray. Of course, you can pray anywhere. But when everything is calm, it becomes easier to find inner peace. Book a special area of silence and prayer in the house can be a solution. And if there is one not far, go to church, simply! By listening attentively, you will also find these zones of peace in the middle of your daily life. This is the opportunity to spend a moment with a crucifix, an icon or a Bible, eyes turned to God.
2 – Finding the time
A good and beautiful prayer can last for a moment: just the time to say thank you or please. However, it is always more pleasant to take your time to pray. At least the time to calm the vagrancy of his thoughts and to focus on Jesus. It may take a few minutes but it’s always worth it! If you do this regularly and at the same time, you get used to it quickly and it’s easier and easier. What is fundamental is to perceive that God is always there and always accessible. The day and the night, in the good ones as in the harder times.
3 – God is your friend
God knows you, he is closer to you than any human being who can exist. You can talk to him by saying “you” and without doing too much. Think of a formula that speaks to you most: Father, Lord, my Savior, my God; there are so many possibilities! And do not forget all that the Trinity holds for you: perhaps it is Jesus personally that you need? The help of the Holy Spirit when you have a heavy task to deal with can also be especially welcome.
4 – Tapping into the treasures of the Church
If one is not particularly exercised in the prayers formulated in a very personal way, one can find in the Pentecostal Churches in San Antonio Texas an immense treasure of prayers constituted by centuries of saints and witnesses faith. Sometimes one feels even more comfortable and freer before God with already written sentences than with spontaneous prayer. The prayer of the Lord’s Prayer is also always a very good choice. And the psalms are also of unsuspected wealth.
5 – Using rituals
Rituals and gestures can also help to pray. One can express bodily willingness to pray: for example by opening his arms in front of a crucifix. Lighting small candles or candles can also be a great help to prayer.