Sermon Summary: Simple Prayer by Monica Monir
The following is a written summary of a sermon initially delivered by Monica Monir.
Matthew 18:1-5 - “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
We devalue simple prayer because it’s not formal, we often rely on predetermined words found in the Agpia (Prayer Book of the Hours).
Simple prayers are the prayers we say in all the little moments of our life e.g. waiting outside our exam room – that’s a window to talk to God —> “help me to remember the things that I have overlooked.”
Some sort of prayer is better than not praying at all.
Matthew 6:7 - “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think they will be heard for their many words.”
Simple prayers are what miracles are made of. In hard situations, simple prayer teaches you that God is your friend, your best friend (ideally).
God is omnipresent, God always comes to us when we are in need of it - He is always constant, we are variable.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - “pray without ceasing,”. However, in our highly saturated world, this idea of praying unceasingly seems farfetched – but is possible through simple prayer.
Fr. Anthony Messeh - “A house cannot be built without a family room, this is the family room of the house. You can't have a house with no family room, you can't have a house that's all formal rooms without that room that you kick back and relax. Well if you're going to have a prayer life then you need to make sure the first place you put in is a place, a room, where you can kick back and be sincere and vulnerable and honest and weak with God and that's what simple prayer is all about.”
Ultimately, you need to make sure the first place you put in your house (yourself) is a room where you can kick back, be vulnerable, and open to God – that is made possible through simple prayer.
Build a home for God in your heart and lives.
1. Take home messages from life stories:
1 John 5:14-15 - “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
Simple prayer covers the anticipated and the unanticipated.
If a thought of a person crosses your mind, that didn’t happen coincidentally - pray for them then and there.
2. Barriers to engaging in simple prayer:
Strive for the uneventful, not mountain-moving.
We’re often very good at structured prayer because when completed, we have ticked a box.
We often dread the thought of simple prayer because it doesn’t feel productive.
However, prayer is not to feel the presence of God or to have some divine revelation, but simply to be there and be in the presence of God.
Don’t set high expectations of prayer, it should be simple and that’s why it’s powerful.
Just because it might seem like your simple prayer won’t change lives, you will realise later that the hand of God influenced many aspects of your life you once considered unimaginable.
Do what you can to be in the presence of God- which is when you pray.
God accepts sincerity and appreciates your honesty. Deliver your thoughts as they are.
If you’re angry, go to Him with your frustration, be honest. But “be angry and do not sin”. It’s okay to experience your emotions, but when you act upon them without seeking God’s guidance, that’s when you may fall into the trap of sin e.g. acting rashly etc.
Turning to God first e.g. venting, “sighing” to Him, saves you from that.
3. Practical ways of applying simple prayer in our lives:
If you have a regular commute - walking, driving to uni - you may pass by signs, posts, go under a tunnel - learn to associate each of these features with situations or people to pray for.
Assign each “Kyrie eleison” (“Lord have mercy”) to a friend in need.
Close your eyes, rid yourself of external stimuli and establish peace and engage with the words of your prayers.
Have a prayer buddy, e.g. your roommate, to keep you accountable for praying and showing gratitude to God when God has answered a prayer.
Set an alarm to ring during your study to set aside time to pray.
Keep the Agpia and Bible on your phone.
Engage in intercessory prayers.
Write things down to serve as a reminder of when you saw the hand of God in your life - gratitude journal.
When you pray, pray in front of an image of Jesus, hold a crucifix etc. (involve your body).
Right before you call someone, give someone advice etc. – pray that God directs your thoughts and blesses what you say.
Conclusion
Essentially, any moment is a good moment to pray.
James 5:13 - “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”…in other words, regardless of your situation, pray!
We should not live our lives off coincidences, prayer enables us to be receptive to the workings of God in our everyday life.
