Build yourself a cell in your heart, & retire there to pray. -Catherine of Siena
One of the things I find so interesting when discussing prayer with others, is the various environments where people meet with God. Take a look at a few of these:
- King David met with God out in the fields where he was tending to his father's sheep, and later on whilst on the run from Saul he prayed in the caves he was hiding in.
- In the new testament, Lydia, along with other women would pray at the river.
- Paul and his companions prayed when they were thrown into prison.
- Regardless of where He was, Jesus always found a way to escape the craziness of this world, and enter into the presence of his Father.
- Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China, would lock himself into a closet and cry out to God.
- John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist denomination, had a little room set aside for his prayer times. In there he kept a Greek new testament Bible and a candlestick. His mother, Susannah, prayed with her apron pulled "up over her head." A sign to her (10) kids, "Do Not Disturb-- Woman at Prayer!"
- The founders of Salvation Army, William and Catherine Booth, stayed up late into the night at home to pray.
- Ruth Graham, the wife to evangelist Billy Graham, kept a desk in her room for prayer. She kept different Bible translations, family pictures, books, etc. there.
- Check out one of Leslie Ludy's spots of prayer here.
What about you? Is there a specific spot where you feel God meets you? Or maybe you're like my mother who prays everywhere (and that's not an exaggeration). I hope we're all aware that we can meet with God anywhere and at anytime, but there's something special about having you're own spot to pray, you know? A place you can make your own; where you can create, be inspired, and talk with your heavenly Prince. The Bible also has something (well, it has many things) to say about entering into that sacred place:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. -Matthew 6:6My Prayer Home
Let me take a little time to share about my place of prayer. First off, it hasn't always been in the same location. For a while it was my favorite couch in the living room, then for about a year it was my bed, and now just in the past couple of weeks I've been re-structuring not only my prayer life, but where that should takes place now. I keep the lighting on the low, candles, and maybe soft music playing the background (usually Jim Brickman). My Bible and journal are always with me, and then maybe I'll keep a devotional/ Christian life book or my iPod (sermon genre, of course). And of course, a cup a coffee or tea is always a plus!
Cultivating Your Own Space
Here are a couple of helpful tips (as shared from Eric and Leslie Ludy's book, When God Writes Your Life Story, as well as some of my own) and when creating or searching for your own sanctuary:
- Order: We all have rules we commit to. Organizations, companies, school, the workplace, religions, governments, almost everywhere and everyone has boundary lines (although we may argue over them). Prayer locations and time slots needs to have boundaries as well.
- Calm: For me, the location of prayer needs to maintain a level of quietness or stillness for the most part. No loud, crazy atmospheres please! However be prepared if you happen to get interrupted. Believe it will happen sometimes! I really like this quote from the book as well, "Calmness doesn't mean the absence of activity, but rather the clear reality of God being in control at all times," (When God Writes Your Life Story, 177).
- Creativity: Consider what inspires you, what gives you joy. Is it being outside in God's amazing creation, or inside on a cozy couch where you can unload all your burdens and converse with the lover of your soul? Maybe you like soft music in the background, or a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers, candles? Sunshine? A walk around the neighborhood? Make an effort to make it your own! (And tell us about it :D)
Resources
- Elisabeth George, A Woman's Call to Prayer (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2004).
- Eric and Leslie Ludy, When God Writes Your Life Story (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2004).
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