Without that quiet time would miss all of the different ways God is blessing me each day. But, God made us all different and what works for one certainly doesn’t work for all. Sat at an AA meeting this noon with tears of thankfulness im my eyes for all the ways people were being blessed. Seems like just the moment life begins to get overwhelming something or someone is placed in our lives life to give us some oomph. Have learned not to overlook the simple things since there is no such animal.

It’s a scary thought that it’s possible we get about as much attention as we give. Such a nice post, thanks.

thanks i needed this

I have a prayer book that has helped. My job is extremely competitive and structured. I don’t like how I respond to the input. (I went back to college when my youngest was 4. Now he is 19.) Also, since my children are “mostly” grown, I have been feeling extremely isolated and find it difficult to purge the vomitous mess in my brains and lift the weight that compresses my soul. I am either down, down or so filled with churning anxiety about my job, etc. that my thinking is fuzzy and convoluted and my chest feels an indescribable pain, different from the weight on my heart feeling.
I have been forging on and have not used the prayer book for awhile. Even though it is just a prayer book, the format helps me. The book is My Daily Bread by Anthony de Padua, I believe. It is in my car right now because I use that space to spare my husband. The format consists of: message, thought, and a prayer along the same thought line. I just flip it open anywhere. If I am over the top and can hardly concentrate, I go straight to the prayer part. I know that my father had a copy of this book because he gave it to me when I was in my early 20s. I also use the rosary as a last resort, meaning I usually stumble through, clutching the beads to my head or my heart. Meditation on the mysteries is for me usually extremely difficult, but I try.
I have actually been so overwhelmed and anxious and tired and unable to sleep and just a mess that I have not looked here for a week or so. I still am in a bad way but I guess I will go find that prayer book. It helps me say the words I need to say to our God.
The distance between God and us is strange. Sometimes I think that death will certainly include that part in the final struggle. Other times there are moments when I am overwhelmed by the love of God (hard to grasp onto right now)….those moments are not related to getting material stuff or having a reprieve from this burden. (Although a reprieve is always welcome here!) They seem more like tiny insights in the struggle.

P.S. I know that “talking” to God means that I listen to God. Those listening moments are, of course, monumental.

What has helped me is two fold: keeping a prayer journal in which I acyually write out my prayers as I would a letter to a friend, and a book from my late mother’s library, “i’ve Got To talk To somebody, God ( I can’t remember the author’s name and ( of course) can’t put my hands on it this very minute! It’s a wonderful collection of a busy woman’s conversations with God, and there is always at least ONE which applies to my cutrrent situation. The listening is not only the hardest part for me as it is for some of you, especially so when his answer isn’t in line with what I’ve petitioned for! In the Lor’ds Prayer, we’re taught to surrender to asking for God’s will to be done, but for many of us ( I know at times for ME at least, those words are simply rote when I speak them. The control freak in me has a hard time surrendering to ANYONE, inclyding God, even though i’ve learned through hindsight over te years that He truly does know what’s best in terms of how my life is going to unfold and the repurcussions of what I THINK I want would often have been disastrous had He not used his wisdom to guide His answer to me. Years ago I miscarried after years of unsuccessfully trying to conceuive and was devestated. I can now see that if I had borne that child I would still have to be dealing with my now ex-husband and his new wife who happens to be the woman he was cheating on me with, and it’s better for all of us that I not have to do that. i’m in no physical or financial position to be raising a teenager now, either, although the loss seemed to be devestating at the time! Even so, i still have a hard time turning everything over to the one who has proven His superior foresight in terms of my well-being! For me, hearing Him isn’t as graphic or certain as it seems to be for others I know. I don’t actually” hear him speaking inside mt head, but I CAN feel his presence around me at quiet moments and attempt to simply soak in the sense of love and peace it brings.I guess i’ve always envied those who claim that they DO hear a voice in theier heads; it’s always eluded me (Does that mean i’m less worthy?) (Or maybe just less schizophrenic?)I don’t have the answers, but I do find a feeling of peace when I take the time ( not find, TAKE!) to be still and open myself to Him in the ensuing quiet.

As I said on the other thread, the “noise” of daily life is not truly a problem for me. I can find prayer time if I am so inclined, I admit.
The “noise” that interferes with my potential “quiet” contemplation of the divine presence is that of organized religion — which, whatever the sect IMHO, shouts out its anger and disapproval (and condemnation) of my current condition, let alone my other life situations.
And I grew up in a religion where you have to go through man to get to G-d, which doesn’t help me in changing my habits …

GOD IS REAL!!HE PROVES THIS OVER AND OVER IN OUR LIVES..TRUST HIM.. BELIEVE ME, IT IS SOME TIMES DIFFICULT..BECAUSE WE WANT THINGS-RIGHT NOW-SO, WE TRY TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN..WHICH IS THE WRONG THING TO DO..RIGHT NOW SOME ONE IS TURNING ON THEIR COMPUTER,LOOKING FOR PRAYER AND HOPE..WE MUST ALL CONTINUE TO TO PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER..NOT JUST FAMILY AND FRIENDS BUT, ALL MANKIND!!!OUR SOULS IS OUR FUTURE..MAY GOD CONTINUE TO HAVE MERCY ON US ALL.. PEACE BE STILL-YOUR SISTER IN CHRIST -ANGELA

Oddly enough, it was the rosary that tweaked my interest back into prayer. Being raised Lutheran/Anglican, my knowledge of a rosary was probably even less than yours! I picked up an “anglican” rosary and looked into the lutheran rosary prayers. I eventually adopted a celtic one that I quite liked. Now that I am commuting on the bus, I don’t find myself using it anymore – instead, I found some recordings of Morning and Evening Prayer (catholic, of course!) and put them on a small MP3 player, so that on my way to work and on the way home, I can do morning and evening prayer. This works well, since I’m working towards a novitiate as a Franciscian tertiary and we are required to pray one of the daily offices. I find that I am much more relaxed at work if I have managed to go through morning prayer than if I haven’t. At night, I find myself using compline, although with my current relapse, I have to admit that I’ve sloughed that one off for a while. Having some sort of route prayer really helps when the depression hits. I’m on the road to recovery – I’m almost sleeping through the night again and have stopped having naps, but I’m still really tired by the end of the day. Hang in there!

Margaret- Marjorie Holmes is the author of I’ve Got to Talk to Somebody, God. Thank you for reminding me that it has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. The author’s simple, candid prayers are helpful.
Betty

I believe as long as you are doing a solitary activity like swimming, walking, jogging – you can also pray at the same time. The Bible says,
” Be still and know that I am God.” I believe the stillness being referred to is a mental stillness…….or unbusying of our minds. If our minds are cluttered with daily demands of our time and minds, we can’t hear God or talk with God….we are too distracted. If the mind is still – then we are still and can pray and commune with God. I believe successful prayer is possible when we try to align our minds and our spirits together at the time we are praying. To align with our spirit the mind must be quieted down. I find even when I am sitting still at my kitchen table praying or reading my bible or something else inspirational, I can still be distracted in my mind and notice then that my mind wandered. And so, I gently draw it back to quiet again and also ask God to help me keep my mind clear from the other things. I wondor how many soldiers on their way, marching, and very possible scared even, prayed before they reached the battle sight and had to fight their enemy? Any way – I’m with Angela. Thank you Angela, I too try to expand my prayer list for all of mankind, not just for me or loved ones and friends. We were all made to be spirit beings as well as emotional, physical. It’s just that some are farther along on their spiritual journey, while others don’t know or don’t want it yet, or are just lost. I pray for all of mankind to want to look for and find a relationship with our Master Creator, our heavenly Father. God bless you all…..and thanks for sharing on this site………Diane