The Following includes an excerpt from “FROM CHAOS TO CHRIST: Out of Noise, into Truth” by Fr. Christopher Metropulos. Buy the book available now HERE.
A consistent prayer life is essential to the Christian walk, especially during Lent when we’re called to deeper communion with God. But many of us struggle to maintain a meaningful practice of prayer. We may pray sporadically, or feel uncertain about how to structure our time with God. The Orthodox Church offers guidance through what’s called a Prayer Rule—a set practice of prayer that encourages consistency and depth.
Here are some suggestions for developing your own personal Prayer Rule:
Set a dedicated time and place for prayer. Using a timer may help, so you are not bound to clock-watching. Thus, you are more likely to engage in prayer fully.
Avoid rushing. Before praying, quiet your soul by reflecting on the awe, holiness, and graciousness of the God you approach. Replace worldly thoughts with heavenly ones. Listen.
Engage both mind and heart. As you recite or read prayers, let the words sink in. If a phrase or sentence particularly moves you, linger there, perhaps adding your prayers as the Spirit moves.
Include your body in prayer. Standing, kneeling, bowing, making the sign of the cross, or prostrating. Sometimes prayers will be said during a time of fasting, another way to become physically involved in prayer.
Be careful not to let your Prayer Rule become a burdensome taskmaster. We are servants of God, not slaves to a routine. The Prayer Rule is external protection we put on for a purpose. Never lose sight that it is a protection, not the ultimate purpose. Your chance to commune with your creating and redeeming God is the ultimate purpose of prayer.
But what should we pray? Many criticize repeated prayers, those written by others and simply read or recited, claiming they are thoughtless and contrived, perhaps not relevant. But let us consider why we might suggest common prayers. Humans can approach God in many different postures. Often, our attitude in prayer is self-centered or demanding. When we approach God with a demanding posture or attitude, our prayers can take on the look and feel of an Amazon wish list. Or we can have the posture and attitude of self-absorption. In this case, our prayers can deteriorate into a form of self-talk, ignoring the presence of God.
Prayer is a discipline, requiring the right posture, a mindset that is an attitude of awe and reverence, ready to receive humbly from God. Prayer should never take a demanding posture, but one of submission to God and His will. Without humility, prayer can become selfish or self-focused; we end up praying only for our will and not God’s. We sometimes allow circumstances to control our prayers, making them look like wish lists or sound like gripe sessions. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople warns: “We have reduced prayer to a private act, an occasion for selfish complaint. In prayer, our concerns ought to be for others, for the world, and especially for those who cannot protect themselves.”
We must take a humble posture in prayer. The posture of humility allows a different direction for the mind and heart. It uncovers different energies. St. John Climacus describes this energy: “Humility is like the sun: We cannot describe its power and essence, but from its properties and effects, we can deduce its intrinsic nature.” Humility in prayer is the readiness to receive whatever God wills to send us.
