Getting your thought together and concentrating on prayer can be very hard. This problem is not uncommon even among the devout Christians, who have been going to church for many years. Prayer is a living communion with the Living God, conversation with Our Heavenly Father. But why can it sometimes become so unbearably difficult? Priests usually give several reasons. In my opinion, one of those reasons deserves special attention.

I'd like to talk about the case when the prayer loses its spiritual sense and turns into a mere set of words that are supposed to be pronounced in a certain order. Often people start to see the ritual of prayer as an obligation, and that quickly turns the conversation with God turs into just another boring routine. During this "prayer" the heart remains cold, and the mind remains scattered. One does no longer understand what he came to the Lord to talk about. To be honest, I experienced that myself.  

Of course, one wants to pray differently, to feel the words prayer really coming from the heart! But how to revive it? I think I've found a way to do just that. And the answer lies in the words of a 20th century saint — elder Paisios of Mount Athos. He once said: "First you need to make the pain of another person into your own pain, and after that you should perform a heartfelt prayer."

But how do I really make someone's pain into my own? I thought long and hard on this and then the answer just dawned on me.

It was a hot summer. I was walking along a busy highway and saw a traffic accident - two cars collided. Alarms were on, both drivers seemed to be in shock, trying to understand what happened and waiting for traffic police officers. The fear and tension they have experienced! And how much more would they have to endure!

I was walking past them and suddenly I remembered that I once was in an accident too. It was winter, many years ago. The damage to the cars was minor, there were no casualties, and the scene of the accident was 100 meters from the road transport police station. Nevertheless, it took three hours to wait for the traffic police officers. And then it took another three hours to complete the paperwork. All this cost me an enormous amount of time and nerves, it still hurts even to remember that!

So all this came into my mind, and then someone else's pain became mine! I imagined so clearly how hard it was for those drivers to wait for the police in the summer heat in the middle of the scathing asphalt. And I wanted to pray that God would give them strength and patience. At the same time, it occurred to me that at times the prayer of the day may be your own words to God about such drivers who have had an accident. And the prayer of another day can be your sincere requests that the drivers who left today keep peace in their souls, so that their road is free of traffic jams and accidents...

"One kind, heartfelt prayer has more power than a thousand words," said the elder Paisios of Mount Athos. And the saint of the 19th century, St. Theophan the Recluse, seemed to explain these words in advance: "The main thing in prayer is feeling for God from the heart. The words of prayer at this, which will be selected. Feeling for God without words is prayer." On that hot day on the side of the highway, I felt the joy of such a prayer!

Original article: https://radiovera.ru/molitva-dnya.html