{"id":153,"date":"2020-10-29T13:37:39","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/?page_id=153"},"modified":"2026-01-11T20:09:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T20:09:46","slug":"prayer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Stay-calm-and-keep-praying.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-195\" width=\"193\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Stay-calm-and-keep-praying.png 432w, https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Stay-calm-and-keep-praying-223x300.png 223w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4>Lichfield Diocese Vision Prayer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p> <em>&#8220;As we follow Christ in the footsteps of St Chad, we pray that the two million people in our diocese encounter a church that is confident in the gospel, knows and loves its communities, and is excited to find God already at work in the world. We pray for a church that reflects the richness and variety of those communities. We pray for a church that partners with others in seeking the common good, working for justice as a people of hope.&#8221;<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4> Prayer at Connect2, Tuesday at 6.45pm<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"603\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-8.png 603w, https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-8-261x300.png 261w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out more about our prayer meetings or if you would like us to be praying for something specific please contact alex.wolvers@lichfield.anglican.org <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prayer is simply talking to and listening to God. At Connect2 we believe that God created everyone to be in relationship with him, and that he loves to hear from each one of us as often as possible. Just like you might talk to a close family member, so we have the privilege of talking to God. You don\u2019t even need to be a Christian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 John 5:14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em> There is one thing we can be sure of when we come to God in prayer. If we ask anything in keeping with what he wants, he hears us.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prayer plays a central part of our life within Connect2 and we are committed to praying for Brown Edge and the surrounding area. If there is anything you would like us to specifically be praying for please do get in touch on: <strong>Connect2brownedge@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would like to pray but don&#8217;t know how to start, you are not alone. There was a time when Jesus\u2019 disciples asked him to teach them to pray. So he taught them this prayer as an example, <strong>The Lord\u2019s Prayer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Our Father, in heaven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holy is your name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your kingdom come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Give us this day our daily bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For thine is the kingdom,and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why We Pray (Peter Greig)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Why We Pray (Peter Greig)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tIqbRn6dC_Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>You may find this thinking on prayer useful.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>What is prayer and how do I start?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>So, what\u2019s the secret of prayer?<br>The American monk and activist Thomas Merton once wrote: \u201cThe secret of prayer is hunger for God. The will to pray is the essence of prayer.\u201d<br><br>I don\u2019t feel I\u2019ve ever got much beyond this.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Most of my prayer seems to be taking up with my longing for God and my longing to pray. Most books I\u2019ve read about prayer don\u2019t tell you this. They tend to describe the benefits of prayer, but gloss over the mechanics of getting there.<br>Here you will find some practical advice and encouragement to actually start praying.<br>Your wanting to pray is the beginning of a relationship with God that can grow and grow. And it can start anywhere.<br>Don\u2019t worry if you find it difficult. It doesn\u2019t depend on you nearly as much as you think. \u201cI cannot pray,\u201d the great Dutch spiritual writer Henri Nouwen once said, \u201cbut God can pray in me.\u201d It took me a long while to learn this, and even so it is a truth I often forget. I imagine prayer to be somehow dependent on my effort, or worse, my eloquence.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>God calls out to every human heart and longs to make a home in every human heart. But God waits for us to respond.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>There is a paradox to prayer. It is all about the gift of God, and God praying in us, but it also has to be an act of human will. God calls out to every human heart and longs to make a home in every human heart. But God waits for us to respond. When we do, it is God\u2019s delight to come to us and sing his song within us. Our voice \u2013 however faint and unsure of the tune \u2013 is joined to the song of the Spirit.<br>My own working definition of prayer is this: Prayer is the lover coming into the presence of the beloved and saying, \u201cI love you.\u201d<br>This is an entirely different way of thinking about prayer. It is not about what we \u201cput in\u201d or \u201cget out\u201d, but focuses entirely on God.<br>God is the great lover. We are God\u2019s beloved. God is constantly coming into our presence to say that he loves bus. Most of the time, we probably won\u2019t be aware of this.<br>But that doesn\u2019t mean God isn\u2019t there. We aren\u2019t usually aware of the air we breathe. But we keep on breathing.<br>Prayer is the most natural thing in the world. It has been said that prayer is as natural as a flower opening its petals to the sun.<br>But it can also be the hardest.<br>There will be dark and difficult times when prayer feels impossible. It requires discipline as well as desire. Because it is relationship, it is about letting go and allowing someone else to be at the centre of your life.<br>I am not a Christian because I know lots of things&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>about<\/em> God, but because I&nbsp;<em>know<\/em>&nbsp;God. This relationship, which God has initiated through his love, is one we enter freely. God will never force his way into our lives. But the great paradox of this relationship is that when we put Jesus at the centre of our life, he puts us at the centre of his.<br>Like all relationships, it needs to be worked at. And it is through prayer that our relationship with God is nurtured and sustained.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><em>\u201cYou learn to pray by praying.\u201d<\/em> <em>Elizabeth Obbard, To Live is to Pray<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>There is no right way, or place or posture for praying.&nbsp;<\/strong>Just the way that is right for you. Feeling comfortable is vital. You don\u2019t, for instance, have to kneel down. Sitting in an easy chair, or lying on the floor is just as good.<br><strong>Using set prayers is one of the best ways to get started.&nbsp;<\/strong>If you use your own words, do not worry that they won\u2019t be good enough. Even if you find you find you have no words, offer God your thoughts, even your distractions and anxieties. Give him the time you have set aside.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Prayer Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open,<br>all desires known,<br>and from whom no secrets are hidden:<br>cleanse the thoughts of our hearts<br>by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,<br>that we may perfectly love you,<br>and worthily magnify your holy name;<br>through Christ our Lord. Amen.<br><em>(A prayer of preparation (The Collect for Purity) from Common Worship)<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lichfield Diocese Vision Prayer &#8220;As we follow Christ in the footsteps of St Chad, we pray that the two million people in our diocese encounter a church that is confident in the gospel, knows and loves its communities, and is excited to find God already at work in the world. We pray for a church [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":780,"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/153\/revisions\/780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect2.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}