A wise student of The Way of the Light & Fire of God asked me recently, about how to avoid becoming bored in prayer. I thought it a wise question, and decided to share the answer -- as we are asked to do it every day.
Well, each day, morning and evening, I get on my knees before our altar and pray, worship, etc... But honestly, feeling bored is something everyone goes through -- doing it every day/night, it gets so dry at times, repetitious, yes, has a forced feeling.
My first answer is simple: Do it anyway.
Still, forced prayer has little power. Reciting prayers that you have memorized, is as dull as a gray sky. I have a set prayer I always say (It will be in the new version of the book), but then I just visualize a beautiful bright point of light, white-silver in color, and I focus on that light, and I imagine my heart opening like a lotus. From my heart I envision a ray of golden light rising, shining toward the Source, my heart light lifted to God -- my love, all the love within me, poured out to God as that golden ray. So, my light and God's light meet... My heart touches God's heart - we connect.
In other words, visualization helps a lot.
Imagine God as a being of pure light, and walk with the Living Being of Light in a perfect garden (Eden), and just talk to God in your heart. Talk to God about your life, your worries, your fears, or just spend time there, sitting together on a bench in paradise, looking at swans on a beautiful pond. In this type of prayerfulness, you can learn the very important spiritual power, of listening to God -- God answering your questions as you talk to Adonai while seated on that bench. Our God is a personal god (all-personal) -- that is, a friendly God who takes a personal interest in our lives.
I often visualize myself in God's throne room, depicted in Revelation chapter 4 and 5, kneeling there, facing the divine throne.
My favorite part, however, is singing. I just sing. When I pray, I open my heart and sing my prayers, my pain, my fear, my loneliness, my joy, and my dreams -- I sing to God from my heart. When I open my eyes, the room is often full of a faint smoke and little white-blue lights shine out at me from the wall above the altar -- just for a few seconds... sometimes eyes made as if from light are there staring at me. Sounds crazy, but singing to God, pouring out your heart and your love to God, is a very powerful thing, and God so much enjoys it. And it does not matter how good you sing, because, if it is full of your true feelings and love, it is as sweet as honey to God.
God is real. That's what you must understand. An actual being. Actually listening to you, watching you right this second -- reading this post. Not like a weird stalker, but like someone who really loves your company, and is so very interested in your life. What is prayer, but just talking to your best friend and true parent.
One time, when I finished singing, I said, "I love you Elahi (my god)," and heard an actual voice say, "I love you too." Miracles can and do happen when you really reach out with your heart in love and truth to God.
What to sing?
The book of Psalms is David and Solomon singing prayers to God. When I was young, I used to sing the Psalms, while alone in worship. It taught me how to sing/pray to God. Gregorian chant was another guide, in that its cadence is a great help, working well as a guide to speaking prayers in song... But you have to find your voice, and sing what you feel moved, maybe just saying, "I love you," in a chant like song. There are many beautiful Jewish, Christian, and Islamic prayers to God to be sure. Below are some examples of Jewish and Christian worship songs that may help.
If anyone picks on you for singing to God -- well, imagine what God would think about such a person.
Seeing God as a person, with a face?
Putting a face to God is why a billion people call Jesus, God (they need God to be person with a face); and, in some sense, Jesus/Yeshua is a mask/face worn by God, so that we might better relate to God. And this is fine, as long as you know in your heart that it's just God in a form you can understand. If you prefer, you might use the traditional image of Moses or the stereo typical image of The Prophet (see Hermit Card) as these are very archetypal -- that is to say, God as the old wise man. These are just masks of the divine, even as the image of virgin Mary is a mask of divine wisdom, Pistis Sophia, Shekinah in short, it's fine to allow God to wear a mask you are comfortable with - if it helps you develop a personal connection. Just realize and keep in mind always, that God is so much more behind that mask.
Link to the video version of this article.