E Card: How do I pray?
We hear about prayer all the time, yet after a few minutes of saying a few words to God, we get stuck …”What am I supposed to do now?” 
 
Christianity understands prayer to be a  conversation with God. Most people pray in some way, but often they miss the conversation piece. For the moment, consider a conversation with another person. First, acknowledge their presence with a greeting. Then, relate any thoughts or stories to him. Afterwards, listen to receive the message he has for you. Finally, respond to what you have heard and make a commitment to talk with him later. Conversation is modeled after our prayer with God:
 
1. Acknowledge God’s presence with a greeting. St. Ignatius of Loyola recommends an habitual ritual (sign of the cross, light candles, breathing, open hands, etc) as you begin to pray. Become aware of what is stirring in your heart that may come up in prayer.
2. Relate your thoughts, feelings, and desires to God. Yes he knows them already, but loves to hear it from you.
3. Receive God’s message. Listen to what God has to say to you in silence. He may tell you to act on a good desire, ignore an evil thought, or to remain open to a feeling.
4. Respond with a resolution. You may resolve to act on what you have received in prayer or to take your promptings to prayer again tomorrow, saying, “God what else do you wish to show me here?"
 
This is a powerful model for prayer because it doesn’t dismantle anyone’s prayer ‘style’. In other words, you can use this model with the rosary, Holy Hours, Scriptures, or spiritual reading. The most important piece is listening to God’s promptings. He may ask you to put down all materials and just be still, or he may direct your hands to a rosary, your mind to a book or Scripture story, or your imagination to a wound in your life for healing.
 
Finally, remember you are listening not for a physical voice, but for a gentle tugging of the heart. God prompts us through our senses, memory, and imagination since prayer is an exercise for the whole human person, body and soul. Deepen your spirituality by practicing prayer as a conversation with God!