Structured or spontaneous prayer?
I personally found that having both structured and unstructured times provide me with the best of both worlds.
A common question I get is this: is it more beneficial to be structured or to be spontaneous in our approach to prayer? My answer: why not have both? I employ both structured and unstructured strategies in my times with the Lord. The main structured activity I do each day is utilize the book Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Common Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro (a free version can be found at www.commonprayer.net). The book provides me with an excellent structured guide for a major portion of my prayer times. It provides me with material for morning prayers, midday prayers, and evening prayers. I simply go through the material at times of the day that make sense to my schedule (I'm personally not strict about the exact time I have to do them). The book already specifies the prayers to be said, the Scripture passages to be read, and even some of the songs to be sung (which I often swap for something more to my liking). Common Prayer is an excellent tool to use with a group (and it was perhaps meant for that purpose), but I find that it works just as well flying solo. The best thing about the book is that it adds a bit of structure to some of my prayer times so I'm not left wondering what to do. I can jump in right away connecting with the Lord with this liturgy in hand.
It may feel a bit awkward at first especially if you're not used to this kind of liturgical approach to worship. I know it felt strange for me at the onset. But now that I've been using the material for months, I find that it provides me with an excellent structure that I can depend on and I now feel like I'm really able to meaningfully direct the words I say to God even though they are not originally my words.
Going through all the material from Common Prayer for any given day will already encompass about an hour of prayer and meditation time (30 minutes for the morning prayer, 10 minutes for the midday prayer, and 20 minutes for the evening prayer). This constitutes the most structured activity I do in my daily prayers. Outside of Common Prayer, I employ a more unstructured approach to my time with the Lord. Usually, it depends on how I feel at the moment or what circumstances I'm going through. If I'm being strongly tempted, I might reflect on pertinent Bible verses to help me combat sin. If I want to be more aware of God's presence, I might employ a string of worship songs to sing along with. Sometimes, I feel like I may just want to sit there in God's presence and say or do nothing. And so, I do that. I have a list of over a dozen things that I could possibly do during my time with the Lord. I may not necessarily employ all of them in one sitting or even in one day but they're good to have as options. I get to be as creative as a want with my unstructured times with the Lord. And so, no two days of prayer and meditation are exactly alike.
I recognize that this is what works for me and that it may not resonate with others. We're unique human beings with different needs and interests. For some of you, you may want more structure. Perhaps you're the type who wants to plan out exactly what you're going to do every 15 minutes of prayer and you want to stick with that day in and day out. For others, you may want more spontaneity. I personally found that having both structured and unstructured times provide me with the best of both worlds. You're going to have to discover what works for you. I recommend experimenting with various ideas and approaches to your prayer times—with both structured and unstructured strategies—to discover what's best for you. And keep experimenting in the future so you can adjust appropriately to how you are changing as a person and to be able to discover new and exciting ways to meet with God every day.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
