I don’t know about you, but when I used to think about prayer, I would imagine people on their knees, hands folded in front of them, asking God for favors, deliverance or forgiveness. Maybe all three.

And while that was good and all, there was something about it that was a turnoff. Perhaps it was the idea of an all-knowing God that I had to give deference to, or maybe it was the idea that I needed favors from this God, and that I couldn’t do it myself. I’m not exactly sure.

What I am sure of is that I resisted prayer for a long time because I didn’t understand that it was about a relationship and a conversation with God.
Note: I use the term “God” because it feels right to me. If “The Universe,” “Allah,” or “The Purple Mountain Goat in the Sky” feels better to you, use that. 😉

Effective Prayer: My Experience

I plan out my blog posts well in advance. I currently have weekly blog posts planned from now until February of next year, so a solid 7 months.

I put this blog post on my calendar a few months ago, because I had a very cool experience with prayer and my health. I prayed, and practically demanded, my health to be returned to me because I felt my soul’s purpose so strongly and it was almost impossible to live out my purpose when I woke up with no idea whether I would feel good or like death warmed over.

So I prayed. In the shower. I expressed my sadness, my feeling of restriction, my frustration and my anger. I explained that I felt my mission on earth very clearly, and that I was curtailed by the lack of vitality that I experienced every day.

I couldn’t plan a majority of my work, because I didn’t know when I would feel good and COULD work, and when I would feel poorly and simply have to rest until I could function somewhat normally again.

It’s a helpless feeling.

Not long after that, I was introduced to Debbie Veach, of Enchanted Forest Reiki, Spiritual Items N’ More, and she got me in touch with a local naturopath and healer who helped her with a very similar health condition.

My intuition was telling me this was a good idea, so I went ahead and met with the healer. Within a few weeks of being on the new health regimen the healer suggested, I had energy. My body could work almost normally most of the time, and I was able to be consistent for the first time in years.

Quite frankly, it’s a miracle. And I love it.

So, I started thinking, what made my prayer effective? What was it that allowed my prayer to get answered? Furthermore, what did I do that got me the answer I wanted?

I prayed again. This time to know why that prayer worked, when others didn’t.

Once again, the prayer was answered.

I went hiking with my husband last week, something I’ve been greatly enjoying with my increased health and vitality.

Following our intuition, which is our general strategy for choosing hikes, we chose one of the hardest trails in Red Rock, Ice Box Canyon.

We were on our way back to the car after failing to find the waterfalls, but the trail seemed to disappear. Well, this is because there was no trail where we were walking.

We had gotten off trail.

We were in a riverbed, instead.

We were lost.

And we were out of water.

And I didn’t have my emergency medications in our hiking backpack.

And it was 108 outside.

And I was scared, because I could feel my body becoming dehydrated. I could feel how much it needed the medication that I take (that keeps me alive, thank you very much.)

Once it was obvious what was happening, I cried a little. It’s not a good situation to be in, because I get dehydrated very easily, and once dehydrated, my body can crash very quickly. I was looking at the solid possibility of a hospital visit if we couldn’t make it to the car in the following hour.

So, I prayed.

I sat down, and told God that I had work to do, and that I wanted to do it. I told him that I was here for a purpose, and that I absolutely refused to need to go to the hospital because of this excursion. I explained that I was only allowing a half-day recovery period max, and so he’d better get me out of here.

There’s too much that I needed to do here on earth.

I let it go.

I didn’t have time to take a breath before my husband called out that he’d found a path that looked promising, and I could feel a sensation of peace in my chest.

I knew my prayer had been answered.

Furthermore, when my husband said he had a really good feeling about the trail, I told him I did, too, because I had prayed.

It was only a few hundred feet before I saw a burnt tree that I clearly remembered from our trek into the canyon. I remembered exactly where I had been when I had seen it, and after a quick climb up a steep incline, we were perfectly back on the trail again.

Thirty minutes later, we were in the car and getting re-hydrated and the medication I needed.

I knew that the entire experience was one I was called to share to help you understand the role of prayer in your life.

But, what did I do right? What was consistent about these three prayers?

The Four Steps to Effective Prayer

1. Alignment

The first thing that’s consistent with all three prayers is that I was in alignment with my life’s purpose. I was clear on who I am and what I wanted to give/experience in the world.

I find that alignment is the first and most important step, because God doesn’t give you what you want if what you want isn’t in alignment with your soul’s purpose.

Get in touch with the deepest parts of you that KNOW what you’re here to do. I’m here to help people connect with their innate divinity. That’s my mission.

Maybe yours is to be a great father, or to test the boundaries of your physical body. Maybe your mission is to simply learn to enjoy the moments of life as they come.

Whatever that deeper, inner truth is, honor it.

 2. Authenticity

It’s a common saying that honesty is the best policy, and I find that to be especially true for prayer. Once you’re in alignment, simply be honest about what you’re experiencing and what you’d like to see happen.

Outline what you see as problems and obstacles to fulfilling your purpose.

If you feel frustrated and angry, vent. This is about YOUR truth, no one else’s, so ignore what you think you “should” feel, and just lay your emotional and experiential cards out on the table.

God created you with emotions, so he can certainly handle it if you show some to him. Even if they aren’t pretty.

In fact, since he created the damn things, he probably has a better way to handle them, anyway. 😉

Don’t worry about being properly reverent. Just get your truth out there.

3. Ask for What You Need

Once you’re in alignment and you’ve spelled out your authentic truth, ask for what you need.

I recommend being as flexible what what you ask for as you can, without deviating from your authenticity. You’ll notice I didn’t do that in the third prayer, and that’s because I had the next week scheduled in my calendar, and I had no desire to reschedule anything due to health challenges. That was my authentic flexibility in that moment.

Whatever it is that you DO need, ask for it. If you need confidence and courage, ask for that. If you need for your old beliefs to dissolve and be replaced with new ones, ask for that. If you need time, resources, or money, ask for those things.

4. Let it Go

If you’ve completed the previous three steps, the only thing left is to let it go. You put all your cards on the table, you’re in alignment and you’ve outlined what you need. There’s no more work for YOU to do, so release it.

Let it go.

Breathe your prayer out and let it simply dissolve into the ether.

Don’t worry whether it’s going to be answered or not.

It will be.

But you have to let it go.

What are your tips for great prayers? Share in the comments!