Relearning How to Pray

Question:n nI grew up in the church and up until two years ago, I didn't leave the house in the morning or go to sleep at night without praying to God. I have had an awaking of sorts in the past couple of years and my idea of God has expanded. I am grateful to have undergone this experience, but I no longer understand how to pray (as silly as it may sound). I always prayed to God as if I were talking to a person. Now I read about 'affirmative prayer' versus 'prayers that come from lack,' and honestly, I really wish there were a way for me to synthesize and learn to pray again.n nAnswer:n nPrayer is about communication. It is easier for most people to feel like they are communicating with God if they can imagine God as having people-like qualities. If your idea of God has expanded, that shouldn’t mean that your previous understanding was wrong or invalid, rather it was incomplete. Having a more universal interpretation of the divine can mean that it can still include aspects of the earlier version, so if your mind still needs something more familiar and concrete as a focus of prayer, that is fine. It doesn’t necessarily negate your broader vision of God. So pray using whatever understanding of God feels best for you. Your innate spiritual growth is taking you in the direction you need to go and you are naturally moving toward an affirmative type of prayer that celebrates the spiritual abundance that is already there within you, so don’t worry whether you are praying right or wrong, just pray the way comes naturally to you.n nLove,nDeepak