Journeying to Grace

I have a few prayer ‘phrases’ or short prayers that I recite especially in moments when I don’t know where to start or when I don’t specifically know what to pray for. I just know that I desire to simply be with God and seek His peace, and these help quiet and guide my thoughts. I’ll take a line from a longer prayer I already know well. For example, though I pray the many prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, I am often drawn to just offer the prayerful line, ‘Jesus, I trust in you.’ Through a prayer exercise at a retreat I attended many years ago, I wrote, ‘Renew me, restore me, rescue me. You will let me see gladness in days.’ These short but genuine prayers help prepare me and direct my focus, so I am more ready to hold an honest and open conversation with the Lord.

I laugh a little at how I came across another prayer phrase. After a rigorous workout, a rec center member sat down near me and kept repeating, ‘Oh, my God.’ He was saying it as a response to finally resting and catching his breath, but I am grateful to have heard the repetition of these words and welcomed them as an encouraging prayer. To me, repeating this prayerful phrase in true faith is both simple and complete, and I have found ‘Oh, my God’ to be extremely helpful in just being open to the grace of God’s presence and love. Also in my mental ‘collection’ of prayer phrases and short prayers are lines from traditional hymns or contemporary Christian songs, encouraging words of faith my parents told me, and impactful lines from spiritual authors.

The words and ideas themselves are not new to us, but maybe in their brevity, simplicity, and clarity, they can help renew our spirit, our prayer, and our peace. I’m sure there are prayer phrases and short prayers that you find spiritually nourishing, so please consider blessing your friends and family with them. My spirit has always been enriched, strengthened, and lifted by the moments, prayers, and stories of faith that others share with me. I appreciate their unique perspectives and experiences, embrace their lessons of grace, and find them to be extraordinary places and words of comfort and hope. Let us pray that we are open to both receiving and sharing the thoughtful prayers that fill us, strengthen us, and lead us to the welcoming peace of Christ.