Prayer Challenge

“The word for prayer in Aramaic is slotha.  It comes from the root word sla, which literally means “to trap” or “to set a trap.” Thus, prayer in its initial sense implies “setting your mind like a trap so that you may catch the thoughts of God – in other words, “to trap the inner guidance and impulses that come from your inner spiritual source.” Rocco A. Errico, Setting a Trap for God, The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus

I take it as a given that prayer heals my body, reveals my Soul, and guides me into right action and aligned relationships. And, I have all kinds of proof of its efficacy in my own life and the lives of my clients. I went on-line with the intention of gathering research statistics to demonstrate its power. However, what I found was a mess. Some reports say prayers heal. Some say they make conditions worse. And others say results are neutral. This leads me then, to a prayer challenge.

Prove to yourself that prayer works.

Take any desire or concern you may have and sit with its solution until you can feel the solution in your body. Let’s use some examples. Let’s say you desire to stop grinding your teeth. This is a process I actually did with myself and got terrific results. I was a forty plus year grinder and within two months I ground no more.

The issue/desire: To quit grinding my teeth.

Sit with the solution: Teeth that gently rest upon each other without friction.

Feel it in my body: I imagine within my body the feeling of a mouth that is free and rested.

Then I pray. I pray this that I know and feel is so, now. I revel in my new identity as someone who rests his or her teeth upon themselves. I invite in my Invisible Healing Team of angels, guides, The Holy Spirit and I ask that the Without supports me as my Within has said yes.

I stop throughout the day catching myself NOT grinding and I reward myself with words of praise and gratitude and thank my Invisible Team for their support.

Prayer to me is an Inner/Outer and Outer/Inner experience. I recognize the Presence of God as everything and in everything. As I pray I align my actions with my intention. Prayer is a full-bodied experience.

In my prayer practice, I have supported many clients in finding right work or growing their business. First, together, we become real clear about the desired outcome. Below is an example from work I did with a client. I am writing in the first person to experience the power of this request.

The issue/desire: To grow my client/writing/speaking business using my gifts and talents fully, loving the people I work with, and being paid well.

Sit with the solution: I may imagine any part of this solution. The more I can apply my imagination, or right use of imaging, the more powerful the feeling tone becomes. As I feel the crescendo within me knowing the right work is possible, I then dwell within this feeling. I may see my desk were I write three hours a day. I envision my calendar with three hour blocks which read “writing” and client names filling the rest of my calendar. I hear myself answering the phone and booking clients with pure joy and gratitude. I then experience the private clients on the phone. I lean into the power of the work done together. I recognize each client session is complete in itself, however, the delight of the results are shared in a multiplied fashion. I imagine more and more phone calls. I experience more teaching and speaking opportunities. I see myself shaking hands with new clients and networks I envision myself teaching. I am experiencing within myself that which I desire.

Feel it in my body: I imagine how darn great it feels to work in a job I love.

Then I pray. I pray from this feeling of full practice. I pray to be directed to the right people to open doors. I pray to bless my work in all of its forms. I follow my guidance and I act out of the knowing my practice is full. This leads to me to action on social media, joining coaches circles, volunteering at a hospital; etc.

Action follows prayer. I practice enjoying the action as I move forward.

You choose the subject/area. Be big. Bold. Courageous. Grab a prayer partner or do this experiment on your own. Keep a prayer journal and track.

I have experienced hundred of solid prayer results as I experiment and track. Some are subtle like changing the way I experience a situation. Some are obvious like healing a heart issue or having the right amount of money when I needed it and couldn’t see how it would happen. Track it all. As you’re doing this, err on the side of possibility. Err on the side of proving prayer works not working against it. See what happens.

And, note to self. This process may be incredibly uncomfortable. In fact, I find myself outside of my comfort zone a lot following prayer leads. This is a normal part of the process. Living with the internal feelings of discomfort as a new self emerges is part of the process.