A New Way to Pray
For many Christians prayer is worded expression. Words are offered to God in praise, in thanks, in petition and confession. But how might it be different for those of us who are more visual? I have long dreaded public prayer because, I’ll be honest, words are not my first language. Over the years, in my continued faith explorations, I began to learn about “wordless prayer”. If you are not familiar with the concept I encourage you to look into it. Here was a form of prayer that greatly interested me.
Is it possible to pray without using words? The answer is yes, and I myself have been practicing this for over a decade.
The children’s book, Dream Snow by Eric Carle, entered our home when my daughter checked it out from the school library. I love this book and now own a copy that sits among the books atop my reading/writing desk. It is the story of a farmer who dreams one winter evening that a blanket of soft snow gently covers all of his animals. As you read the story and turn the pages, you reveal which animal is under each blanket of snow. *SPOILER ALERT* The farmer wakes to find that is has actually snowed but his animals are all safe in warm in their barn.
Somehow, I got the idea that this visual of a gentle snow covering something could be used in my prayers. I began to simply imagine snow falling on a person or situation I was lifting up to God. The snow represents whatever is needed. I can easily and quickly visualize anyone and pray for them without needing to form worded thoughts. This is my kind of prayer!
Since this revelation, I have adopted other visuals to use in prayer. My art making is a big part of my prayer life also. I am confident that God is perfectly fine with my visual language. After all, He made us each unique and different so why wouldn’t some creativity and variety be welcome in relating to Him and asking for His help?
If you are looking for a children’s gift, I highly recommend Dream Snow by Eric Carle. I have seen it available as a pop up advent calendar for children too.
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