1.Definition4. Impediments to Prayer 2. Need to Pray 5.
Efficacy of Prayer 3. How do we pray6. Degrees of Prayer 7. The
Ceaseless Prayer Life of Prayer 1
Slide 2
Definition and Comprehension of Prayer What is prayer? + This
is not a simple question that needs a simple answer. The holy
Apostles themselves lacked this knowledge and asked our Lord Jesus
to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1). + The Saints and early church
Fathers defined prayer each according to his/her experience of a
holy life. 2
Slide 3
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer + Strong
resemblance between breathing and the necessity of prayer + It is
the secret of our victory + A means for receiving blessings + The
Lord Jesus as an example + The Apostles as examples + Vital to our
existence in this world 3
Slide 4
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer + Strong
resemblance between breathing and the necessity of prayer:
Breathing is necessary for the physical life. Likewise, prayer is
necessary for the growth of the spiritual life. Physical death is
certain if we stop breathing and if we stop praying, spiritual
death will follow. Prayer brings us the love of God necessary for
our spiritual being. 4
Slide 5
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer, cont. +
It is the secret of our victory: The Lord Jesus revealed to us the
secret of victory over our spiritual enemies when He said "This
kind (the devil) can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting"
(Mark 9:29). The saintly fathers experienced prayer in this sense,
which made one of them say "There is nothing fearful for the devil
more than seeing a man praying". 5
Slide 6
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer, cont. +
A means for receiving blessings: In the forefront of the blessings
of prayer are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. There is a strong
relation between the Holy Spirit and prayer. Prayer makes us ready
to receive many spiritual blessings. The Paradise of the Spirit
lists many from the sayings of St. Isaac the Syrian (P. 35). 6
Slide 7
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer, cont. +
The Lord Jesus as an example: Prayer was an integral part of the
life of the Lord Jesus when He was in the flesh. The Scholar
Tertullian said "What is more than the fact that the Lord Himself
prayed, to let realise the importance of prayer!!" 7
Slide 8
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer, cont. +
The Apostles as examples: The Apostles - Disciples of the Lord -
Leaders of the First Church, made prayer number one in their lives.
See some of the situations and examples in the text below. 8
Slide 9
Life of Prayer Our Need to Pray or Necessity of Prayer, cont. +
Vital to our existence in this world: Apart from Me you can do
nothing (Jn 15:5) Pray that you may not enter into temptation. (Lk
22:40) Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and
you shall glorify Me. (Ps 50 :15) For such the Father seeks to
worship Him. (Jn 4:23) 9
Slide 10
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY? + BODY POSTURE AND PRAYER +
PREPARING FOR PRAYER + CONTROLLING THE THOUGHTS DURING PRAYER +
WANDERING OF THOUGHTS DURING PRAYER + HEAT OF PRAYER + TALKING
PRAYER + ELEMENTS OF PRAYER 10
Slide 11
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY? + BODY POSTURE AND PRAYER: Body
posture during prayer signifies how much we honor, revere and
humble ourselves in front of God - Standing in prayer is the common
posture - Kneeling or bowing down- suitable for confessing sins -
Lying face down (Prostration) - Eyes lifted up to God in prayer -
even closed 11
Slide 12
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + PREPARING FOR PRAYER: -
Need for Preparatory Period before prayer - Calm yourself down even
for a little while - Read the Bible or chant a comforting hymn -
Make yourself feel that you are in the presence of God - Draw the
sign of the living cross on your heart and on your members 12
Slide 13
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + CONTROLLING THE
THOUGHTS DURING PRAYER: -Follow with your mind every word coming of
your tongue -Let yourself be the words you say -Both the mind and
heart should join the tongue in prayer - Not being occupied in any
other matter during prayer 13
Slide 14
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + WANDERING OF THOUGHTS
DURING PRAYER: - Good and Bad Wandering - God is not offended if
wandering occurs. He is offended if we submit to it and do not
resist it - Pure prayer is not the one which lacks wandering of the
thought, but is the one in which the thought does not wander in
vain matters 14
Slide 15
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + HEAT OF PRAYER: If we
adhere in our striving to control the thought and resist its
wandering during prayer - which results from the desires of the
soul - we arrive to the pure prayer of the heart without wandering.
This kind of prayer creates in the heart a state of spiritual
warmth, about which David the Prophet sang in his psalm "My heart
was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I
spoke with my tongue" (Psalm 39:3). 15
Slide 16
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + Talking Prayer: Let
your prayer be a normal talk with God without formalities, a talk
of a son with his Heavenly Father, or a talk of a lover to his
beloved, even to his worshipped!! 16
Slide 17
Life of Prayer HOW DO WE PRAY?, cont. + ELEMENTS OF PRAYER:
Prayers to God do not consist of petitions only, else our
relationship with Him would be to benefit from Him only. 17
Slide 18
Life of Prayer Impediments to Prayer or (Some Obstacles against
Prayer) + LUKEWARMNESS OF PRAYER + THE PROBLEM OF TIME + THE
PROBLEM OF SPACE + THE PROBLEM OF SHYNESS + THE SUBJECT OF PRAYING
IN SECRET + FAMILY OBSTRUCTIONS 18
Slide 19
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer + LUKEWARMNESS OF
PRAYER: _ No desire to pray as a result of not getting comfort.
This state is also called "Dryness in prayer. _The cause is either
from the self or from the devil. _ The value of prayer is not
measured by the degree of comfort but by the amount of toil.
19
Slide 20
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer, cont. + THE
PROBLEM OF TIME: -Busy in work and other numerous responsibilities!
- Differentiate between necessary business which is out of one's
hand and the many other businesses which a person carries out by
ones own will. - Organise time in order to coordinate between one's
duties towards God and the rest of duties. - Regard prayer as an
important matter, for which one reserves time. 20
Slide 21
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer, cont. + THE
PROBLEM OF SPACE: -To solve this problem, some people wake up early
before those who share the room with them, and also wait at night
until all are asleep. Then they stand for prayer. It is a problem,
and it is a struggle which has its crown and its blessings. - Make
a special room in the house dedicated for prayer. 21
Slide 22
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer, cont. + THE
PROBLEM OF SHYNESS: -Shyness may form a problem for some people,
not only in public prayers but also in their private prayers. -
Remedy by focusing energy towards God and not the people. 22
Slide 23
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer, cont. + The
Subject of Praying in Secret: When the Lord Jesus commanded us to
pray in secret, He did not mean that nobody sees us or that nobody
at all knows that we pray. But He meant elimination of hypocrisy,
love of appearance and asking glory from the people. 23
Slide 24
Life of Prayer Some Obstacles against Prayer, cont. + FAMILY
OBSTRUCTIONS: - Faced by youth and young people who come from
secular families. - Standing steadfastly against opposition, going
to God, behaving wisely and prudently, are sufficient to make them
victorious against such annoyances. 24
Slide 25
Life of Prayer The Efficacy of Prayer The mystery of the
efficacy of prayer is shown in Christs appeal when He urges us to
pray: -(You) ought always to pray and not lose heart (Lk 18: 1) -
Watch and pray (Mt 26:41) - Whatever you ask in prayer, you will
receive, if you have faith (Mt 21:22) 25
Slide 26
Life of Prayer Degrees of Prayer 1. Vocal standing before God
in fear 2. Meditation moving toward God in longing 3. Contemplation
resting in the arms of God in love. 2&3 are considered Mental
Prayers For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, then I shall understand fully, even as I have
been fully understood. (1 Cor 13:12) 26
Slide 27
Life of Prayer The Ceaseless Prayer + The Lord Jesus teaches us
that "men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1) + St
Paul the Apostle commands the believers saying "Pray without
ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) + David the great, a king of
Israel, very busy with his kingdom, used to say "I have set the
Lord always before me" (Psalm 16:8) 27
Slide 28
Life of Prayer 28 References 1. Paradise of the Spirit, volume
2, by Bishop Youanis of El-Gharbia Province, Published by St. Mark
Coptic Orthodox Church, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. 2. Orthodox Prayer
Life, The Interior Way, by Abbott Matthew The Poor (Father Matta
El-Meskeen), Monastery of St. Macarius the Great, Wadi El- Natroun,
Egypt, Published by St. Vladimirs Seminary Press, Crestwood, New
York, 2003.