The Prayer Journey // The Beauty of Liturgy

// PART ONE // PART TWO //

If I'm honest, I'd tell you that liturgical prayers used to scare me. From past church experiences, they were looked upon as almost unholy to pray because it wasn't your own words from your heart. 

I wish I had learned the truth of the beauty of liturgy years ago. 

Instead of fumbling through trying to express what's on my heart, if I had understood the sweetness and simplicity of reading a prayer- and then making it my own- it would have taken my prayer journey farther, much more quickly. 

Don't let liturgy scare you like I allowed it to scare me. 

I shared here how part of the challenge my brother and I did was to pray for 30 minutes every morning. We used a prayer book to start off with and then closed with our own prayers for the day. Every morning I knew exactly what I would pray, what I would add. It was special knowing that although in our separate rooms, my brother and I were joining together in unity, praying for the same things. It wasn't a time of trying to fill the air with stumbling words- it was filled with words with precise purpose. 

And truly, who wants to come bumbling and mumbling before a King?

I also challenged you to go through Scripture, find prayers that were spoken by holy men and women, and to make those prayers your own. For example, taking Ephesians 3:14-21 and replacing "you" with the name of the person you're praying for. This, too, is "liturgy" in its own right- powerful, purposeful, precise. 

There is something beautiful and powerful in praying the prayers spoken by holy men and women of old.

Can you imagine if we all began praying prayers like this? If we started praying back Scripture, reminding God of His promises and praising Him for His faithfulness? 

What would happen if we weren't afraid to pray bold prayers? 

Maybe you're just starting out on this deeper prayer journey. Maybe the words come slow, or not at all. Or maybe you've always prayed but it's become a ritual that needs to be sparked into a holy flame again. Maybe you've always shied away from liturgy and didn't know where to start. 

It's okay to join in and pray bold prayers from saints gone before. 

It may just be the spark you need to set your prayer life into a brilliant blaze. 

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This week, be intentional to incorporate liturgy into your prayers. Pray back Scripture, use a prayer book- or even search Pinterest for prayer quotes from missionaries or Kingdom-minded authors. Also, be on the lookout for a perfect notebook to copy these prayers into one convenient place that's easy to use. I know prayer notebooks can seem intimidating and confusing- they always were for me!- so next week I'll share a glimpse into what I've found to work the best.