People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures. – F.Matthias. Alexander

It’s necessary to approach prayer with sincerity, reverence, an open heart and REPITITION throughout the day … just as repitition with increased weight is necessary for efficient strength training and more likely actually achieve our desired results, we also want to pray in ways that increase our focus, our intention and our awareness … we should pray as Jesus instructed us, ie primarily to accept God’s will and to ask that the Holy Spirit fill our lives.

The point is to help us double-down and triple-down and quadruple down on our efforts to more seriously deepen the earnestness of prayerful intention … and to never settle for our current efforts being satisfactory, but to humbly always be seeking to improve our prayer lives, to improve our ability to accept God’s will and to work within that construct to be more forgiving, more able to avoid tempations to depart from our intentions to serve the Lord.

The specific words or practices might vary, but the best model [because it is given to us by Jesus Christ] to begin with is to follow the structure of the three petitions in the Lord’s Prayer … the point is NOT to repetitously just follow a mantra OR to get to hung up on the literal verbiage or language that was used, eg in the King James Version of scripture to teach the structure of the prayer to illiterate masses using familiar paradigms of human organization which were prevalent in the time of King James … mere repitition of just sounds or words that have no meaning or even just heavy reliance on a literal language idioms that are no longer even used is actually an impediment to thinking about what prayer is about … we want to THINK about what we are praying for and why we are praying for it, not just recite incantations like zombies.

Instead, we should use our heads to actually think, in today’s terminology about EXACTLY what we are earnestly praying for and why our prayer might best be structured in a particular manner … even if we do not conform to the bullying of the vain repetition of Pharisaic religous thugs who would WRONGLY tell people not to think, but just recite incantations in a zombie-like fashion.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO THINK in order for us to add the WEIGHT of specific thoughts so that our prayers can be remotely meaningful. We are not to pray vainly, but we are to pray as if we are as serious as we can possibly be about really meaning it … especially when we beg that God’s will be done and not ours … when ask for the very humblest of daily needs, not possessions or jobs or relationships or other things that go beyond what we need right now … when we ask that we are able to forgive others … when we beg that we are not tempted to sin or do things that are stupid or things we will regret.

Thus, one of the first improvements that we can think about in improving our prayer lives might come out of THINKING about the thematic and semantic-structural analysis of the Lord’s Prayer based on the model found in Matthew 6:9-13. The Lord’s Prayer, often referred to as “the model prayer,” is a central part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount … model is the key word here … the Lord’s Prayer is a model for HOW to think thematically about structuring our thoughts coherently as we pray; it is not a model in the sense of being repitious mantra for what is repeated without thinking as we pray … but it is the basis of a practical heuristic that we use to CONSTANTLY BE IN A STATE OF PRAYERFUL AWARENESS OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

The Lord’s Prayer occurs within Jesus’ most extensive preserved teaching, the Sermon on the Mount … as such the structure of the Sermon on the Mount is worthy of some deep examination in thorough detail because of how that sermon focuses on what Jesus describes, per the quotations in the gospels which use the King James vernacular as “the Kingdom of God.”

Understanding what Jesus MEANT and not exactly what the translation of scripture says literally, because we, in the early 21st century, do not use the vernacular of the early 17th century … is one of the main reasons for Christians to pray, ie to help us discern the MEANING of scripture for our current day in age and, to the best of our knowledge, our current understanding of the cosmos … we can still think about the metaphors, but things like space exploration and satellite communication/GPS systems have sort of transformed the our understanding of the heavans and Earth, ie the vernacular intended for the 17th century masses might be viewed as antiquated or obsolete by people from 21st century and it is OUR FAULT as Christians for making the language more of a barrier than it needs to be.

The Lord’s Prayer will holds a very prominent place for Christians who pray first of all to be granted the wisdom to behave according so that our Creator’s will be done to bring about a better culture. The Lord’s Prayer is addressed to the heavenly Father as our Creator, emphasizing the significance of bringing about the WILL driving that Creation on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Thematic Structure of Prayer

The REASON that we memorize the Lord’s Prayer is so that we have the MODEL of how we can think about the thematic structure of our prayers on the fly … without ever having to go back to the internet to look up the Lord’s Prayer again, to make sure that we’re using the right model for how to think in setting up of prayers correctly with the right thematic structure of our prayers … OTHERWISE, prayers ending up being structured simplistically like a little girl asking for presents at Christmas and throwing in something she remember that she was supposed to ask for, like her grandma getting over her cold/flu.

IMMATURE prayer lives are fine … but we are ADULTS … we have THE MODEL for how we are to pray … we shouldn’t expect to get points for praying as if we were selfish little girls asking for things we want to get as presents.

We have THE MODEL for how we are to pray. We behave like adults who understand why they use thing that work. We can reinvent all kinds of OTHER wheels, but when it comes to prayer, we should use THE MODEL.

How we think about about that model is, of course, open to interpretation and study. There’s no limit to the amount of lessons that the model of the Lord’s prayer can teach us, but perhaps one of most useful is divide the Lord’s Prayer into two halves with seven petitions, each with a distinct focus:

First Half (Three Petitions):

These three petitions – 1) the sanctification of our Creator’s name as “Father”, 2) the unstoppable coming of our “Father’s” Creation, and 3) the continual fulfillment of our Father’s WILL as the Creation unfolds – relate to our living Creator and how that living Creation is unstoppably and continually being brought into Reality. Implicitly, this FIRST half of the prayer is the most important, most essential half – because our acceptance of our Father’s Reality as it REALLY IS and not as we would pathetically attempt to will some human-driven reality to be is fundamental to the necessary humility we must live in order to be happy. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be genuinely happy without GRATEFULLY accepting and being supremely thankful for the Reality of our Father’s Creation as it REALLY IS.

Symbolically, the number three represents utter completeness or the PERFECT heavenly whole as well as the divinity in the Old Testament. Another way to think about the petitions for HEAVENLY, PERFECT completeness is to think about how these things would look from the perspective of the Creator, from a million miles away in space, looking down on the Earth … the Creator’s perspective is the only one that is truly complete and perfect in the longest-term sense of the long-term. The metaphor of this view “from a million or a billion miles up* is what we Christians mean by something that is truly heavenly … rather than a view that is focused on little soap operas or tiny passing human drama’s that might presented for extra propaganda value in today’s new coverage … it’s an exquisitely COMPLETE view in that it empathetically sees the struggles/pains EVERY living thing AT ONCE, with the understanding that joy, suffering, growth, decline, gain, loss, death are all necesssry parts of Life in perfect process of Creation … it’s a fully ADULT view that recognizes how genuine sentience, empathy and love arises only out of the lived experience and knowledge of the struggle to survive and thrive in the midst of the gloriously beautiful, but seemingly nasty chaos of the Creation.

The three petitions in this half emphasize God’s sovereignty and holiness … this is why some of us deeply believe that it is extremely important for us to fall on our knees when we pray [if we are not physically impaired by poor health] to physically acknowledge this sovereignty and holiness.

Second Half (Four Petitions):

The second half of the prayer is second for a good reason, ie these other four petitions – 1) Our DAILY NEEDS will be met, 2) We will find the grace of forgiveness to be able to let go of past imperfections, 3) We will not be tempted to sin or do stupid shit, 4) We will be delivered from the genuine EVIL that exists in the world – are much less ESSENTIAL and less important to our prayer lives because these petitions concern only ourselves and our lives and not our Creator’s larger Creation. It’s fine to pray [in self-centered manner] for things for ourselves, but we will generally find that when we pray for our Creator’s will to be done and are appropriately grateful for everything that has been provided, our own needs will generally be met.

The number four often signifies earthly or imperfect, still developing completeness … in contrast to the PERFECT or heavenly wholeness [of the three petitions in the first half].

These requests address our IMMEDIATE DAILY NEEDS and our spiritual and emotional well-being. These requests should never really address things that we merely want or things that we might worry about for the coming months or years … it’s kind of up to us to figure out what we will need in the coming months as well as what kinds of things we WANT to happen … and then plan and to work to make the necessary things happen to take care of our FUTURE needs and ALL of our wants.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):

  Our Father in heaven,
  hallowed be your name.
  Your kingdom come,
  your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
  Give us this day our daily bread,
  and forgive us our debts,
  as we also have forgiven our debtors.
  And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil.

Significance: The Lord’s Prayer encapsulates essential aspects of prayer, including adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. It serves as a model for believers, guiding them in their communication with God. Remember that this prayer is not merely a formula but an invitation to engage with God intimately, acknowledging His sovereignty and seeking His provision and guidance.

As we practice and attempt to improve our prayer lives, we need to realize that training for a better prayer life is not really different than the processes that humans use for serious training for an endeavor that requires excellence of execution, such as training for the Olympics or a martial arts world championship.

It is the earnest intention behind our prayer and preparations to improve our prayer lives that matters most … therefore, it’s necessary, as with coaching, to be dilligent but also to fully enlist our full creative powers [including what we can learn from others, other traditions] to try different practices that have been beneficial for others, eg, giving something up for Lent, intermittent fasting without letting anyone know that one is fasting.

Learning from the tradtions of those who have come before

There’s not really any excuse for us in this day in age with all of our benefits of information technology and AI to not deepen our research of prayer. Prayer like any productive human endeavor is something that benefits from planning, execution of plans and then revision of plans to address opportunities for better incorporating the practice into one’s daily workflow.

It might work best to start with our cyclic improvement process in our prayer lives by follow daily prayer regimens that have been inspired by the successes of various monastic traditions across different religions throughout the millenia.

Dawn Prayer (Lauds)

Dawn Prayer, also known as Lauds, is a traditional Christian prayer service that is typically observed at sunrise or early morning. The term “Lauds” comes from the Latin word “laudes,” which means “praises.”

In monastic communities, Lauds is a part of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, a series of prayer services observed at specific times throughout the day. The purpose of Lauds is to dedicate the beginning of the day to God, offering praise, thanksgiving, and petitions for the day ahead.

The structure of Lauds may vary depending on the specific Christian tradition, but it generally includes the following elements:

  1. Opening versicle and response, such as “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”

  2. Hymn or canticle praising God and expressing gratitude for the new day.

  3. Psalmody, which involves reciting or chanting a selection of psalms, usually including Psalms 148-150, known as the “Laudate Psalms.”

  4. Scripture reading, often a passage from the Old or New Testament that reflects themes of thanksgiving, hope, or God’s love and mercy.

  5. Responsory, a short exchange between the leader and the congregation, reflecting on the scripture reading.

  6. Benedictus or Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79), a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness and the coming of the Messiah.

  7. Intercessions or prayers of the faithful, offering petitions for the needs of the Church, the world, and individual intentions.

  8. Concluding prayer and final blessing.

The practice of dawn prayer is rooted in the Jewish tradition of morning prayer and has been adopted by Christians as a way to sanctify the beginning of each day. It serves as a reminder to orient one’s life towards God and to approach the day with a spirit of gratitude, humility, and trust in divine providence.

While Lauds is particularly associated with monastic and liturgical traditions, the practice of dedicating the first moments of the day to prayer and reflection is a valuable discipline for all spiritual seekers, regardless of their specific religious affiliation.

  1. Mid-Morning Prayer (Terce):
    • Take a brief pause in your day to reconnect with the divine and seek guidance.
    • Recite prayers for wisdom, discernment, and strength, such as the “Prayer of St. Francis” in Christianity or the “Serenity Prayer” in various traditions.
  2. Midday Prayer (Sext):
    • Pause at midday to reflect on your actions and offer prayers of repentance and forgiveness.
    • Recite prayers for humility, compassion, and righteousness, such as the “Al-Istighfar” prayer in Islam or the “Metta Prayer” in Buddhism.
  3. Mid-Afternoon Prayer (None):
    • Take a moment to offer prayers for perseverance, patience, and endurance.
    • Recite prayers for strength in the face of challenges, such as the “Breastplate of St. Patrick” in Christianity or the “Prayer of St. Ephrem” in Eastern Orthodox tradition.
  4. Evening Prayer (Vespers):
    • As the day comes to a close, offer prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings received and reflect on the day’s events.
    • Recite prayers of gratitude and peace, such as the “Shema Yisrael” in Judaism or the “Adiyogi Shiva Ashtakam” in Shaivism.
  5. Night Prayer (Compline):
    • Before retiring for the night, offer prayers of protection and surrender to the divine.
    • Recite prayers for a peaceful rest and the strength to face the next day, such as the “Psalm 91” in Christianity or the “Kirtan Sohila” in Sikhism.
  6. Contemplative Practice:
    • Dedicate time each day to silent contemplation, meditation, or mindfulness practices.
    • This can include practices such as “Centering Prayer” in Christianity, “Vipassana” in Buddhism, or “Dhikr” in Sufism.

Remember, this is just a suggested framework, and you can adapt it to your own spiritual beliefs and practices. The key is to create a consistent daily routine that allows you to connect with the divine, express gratitude, seek guidance, and cultivate inner peace and wisdom.