What our prayer should be like
“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9)
St John Cassian advises that, for our prayer to be fervent and pure, we should try to fulfil the following conditions: during prayer every bodily care must be cut off; and not only the care itself, but even the memory of the care should not trouble us.
Before we begin to pray, we should remember that it matters a great deal what information our soul takes in and shares. For everything we have taken in during the day comes back to us at the time of prayer and hinders us. So if we want to be attentive at prayer, we must prepare ourselves accordingly.
The human mind is like a light feather. If the feather is dry, even the slightest puff of breeze lifts it high into the sky; but if it gets wet, it falls down and sticks to the ground. So it is with our mind: if it is not weighed down by passions and earthly cares, it is by nature pure and turned towards receiving spiritual food. That is exactly why the Lord instructs us: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life…” (Luke 21:34). That is, to prepare our mind for prayer we must avoid gluttony, drunkenness and vain cares.
Depending on how the soul is prepared for prayer, prayer too differs. There is no one-coloured prayer. Everyone prays differently, according to his state. More than that, each of us, in different states, offers different prayers: our prayer is one thing in times of gladness and another in sorrow; one thing when we are spiritually uplifted and another if we are in a fallen state; one thing when we ask forgiveness of sins and another when we wish to receive grace or ask for some passion to be subdued; one thing when we tremble at the Day of Judgement and the fire of hell and another when we are filled with hope of the blessedness and peace to come; and something else again if we weep over a heart turned to stone and the barrenness of the soul. The apostle distinguishes 4 kinds of prayer: “…first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1). The first kind of prayer is the kind in which we give ourselves to repentance for our sins and ask forgiveness; prayer of supplication is when in prayer we offer something to the Lord or make Him a vow, if only what we are asking for may be granted; prayer of petition is when we pray with a fervent spirit for others and for peace in the world; and prayer of thanksgiving is when we glorify and thank God.
After these 4 kinds of prayer comes that exalted state of the soul in which we contemplate the one Lord, love Him with our whole being, and our mind, embraced by love for Him, converses with Him with a special sincerity. That we should strive towards this state is taught us by the prayer “Our Father” (Matt. 6:9–13). This prayer was taught us by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It contains within itself the perfection of prayer. But a special prayerful disposition does not depend only on the perfection of the words of the prayer. For this, work on oneself is needed. And fervent prayer is a special mercy of God.
It is known from the experience of the holy fathers that a prayerful disposition may take hold of people on various occasions. Sometimes, while psalms are being read, some passage suddenly stirs an unseen string in the heart, and fervent prayer is born. Sometimes the beauty of the singing disposes one to fervent prayer. Sometimes this disposition comes over us after a conversation with our spiritual father. Fervent prayer may also be brought about by the death of someone close. Sometimes even the recollection of our own coldness and negligence stirs up in us the desire for fervent prayer. Such occasions, when the grace of the Lord rouses our souls from heedlessness and sloth, are countless.
Our prayer must be constant, full of faith and joined with virtuous deeds. Common prayer is also pleasing to the Lord.
The power of prayer depends on the strength of faith. “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matt. 17:20).
And remember well that you must firmly believe (and not doubt) that your prayer will be heard; then you will receive according to your faith.
We must also remember that solitary, secret prayer is pleasing to the Lord. Just as prayer behind a closed door is pleasing to God, so too is prayer said with closed lips, that is, prayer in the heart. Nothing can compare with prayer offered with a fervent heart and a sober mind. This prayer is known to the Lord alone, and such a prayerful state is hidden from evil spirits, because it is invisible.
Finally, our prayer will reach perfection when the Saviour's word to the heavenly Father is fulfilled in us: “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26), and “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…” (John 17:21).
To acquire a prayerful disposition we should call on the Lord Jesus Christ: “O God, attend unto my help; O Lord, make haste to help me” (Ps. 69:2).
A prayerful disposition, fervent and pure prayer, is acquired by special labour, and without God's help and grace it is beyond a person's reach.
