Helpful and Hopeful resources 2

One thing I am finding about life in isolation is that I’ve completely lost my usual sense of rhythm and routine. It’s very disorientating!  And this disruption to my normal life has also disrupted when and how I PRAY.

I’m at home all day and yes I’m juggling work and kids but in theory I should have loads more time to pray, right?  But with no daily rhythm (yet) and with the extra anxiety and uncertainty that these days are bringing I’m struggling to find a pattern of prayer and to know how to pray. 

If you identify with me, here are a couple of suggestions that you might find helpful for prayer. 

The first is an app called Lectio 365 produced by 24-7 prayer. It is inspired by Lectio Divina, an ancient way of meditating on Scripture, and is a short 10 minute devotional to listen to, helping you to pray. It’s not a replacement for regular bible reading but I’m finding it a helpful short meditative prayer focus at the start of the day.  You can download it from the app store for Android or Apple devices.

Linked with that, the founder of the 24-7 prayer movement Pete Greig (originally from Revelation Church here in Chichester) has written an excellent book on prayer called ‘How to Pray’ (A simple guide for normal people).

It’s a beginner’s book on prayer in many ways but I’ve been learning to pray for more than 25 years now and I still got so much from it. Relevant stories and fresh content.  He uses the acronym P.R.A.Y as a structure for prayer:

Pause: slowing and centering.
Rejoice: adoration and thanksgiving.
Ask: petition, intercession and perseverance.
Yield: contemplation, listening, confession and spiritual warfare.

While online deliveries are still happening this would be a worthwhile book to add to your reading list. Here’s one option of somewhere to get it  - via Eden, the online Christian bookstore.  

Lastly a resource looking ahead which may be useful for just after Easter. 

Spring Harvest, along with every Easter and Summer Christian camp and festival have had to pull the plug on their conferences this year. 

Spring Harvest are generously launching Spring Harvest Home available via YouTube from April 13th-17th, the week after Easter. This is a completely free online conference programme suited for everyone in the family. They are using material built around the 2020 theme of ‘Unleashed – The Acts Church Today’ and are promising Bible teaching, live workshops, specialist seminars and workshops available right through each day of that week. 

This is likely to be an excellent resource to tap into over the Easter period.  

I hope these resources are a help, and I’d love to hear of any other resources, for prayer in particular, that you’re finding helpful. 

Keep an eye on the blog here for more helpful and hopeful resources in the days to come.

Ellen