Good Morning! Two more days till we begin the Fast. For many prayer is a daily habit and for some it is only thought of when times of trouble arise or when asking for something. Or a quickie ritual at the dinner table, “Thank you for this food.” Don’t get me wrong, I am not passing judgement, only stating some facts.

During the Fast we will Pray 3 to 5 times a day at least – your choice whether 3 or 5.           3 x a day would be when you rise in the morning, at Noon, and Evening. 5 x a day would be Morning, mid morning, Noon, mid afternoon, and Evening. Of course, these are suggestions, you can choose times or pray throughout the day whenever you please. Smile

Prayer is quality time talking with God, sharing the day good and bad, seeking guidance, requesting healing for you and others, allowing yourself to become more aware of who God is and who you are. In other words: Meditating on His Word/or just silently Meditating allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you. I think by the end of the Fast you will find time with God everyday is well worth your time.

Some of the more formal names of Prayer from the Bible are:  Gratefulness & Thanks (Phil. 4:6), Praise/Worship (Acts 13:2-3) , Intercession, Faith (James 5:18), Corporate Prayers (Acts 1:14) , Consecration (Matt 26:39), Petition Prayers for daily needs – like the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) Did you know there are 650 prayers in the Bible alone! Not to mention all the many prayers in other Faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and many more. As you know, I am a person who believes our words create and cultivate our inner garden. So, throughout the Fast I will be sharing prayers of all Faiths. I pray you are able to appreciate the prayers for What they say not the “Religion” or practice of religion itself. One of the things during our Fast is to grown in the Spirit of Love and the Light of God. Love is not divided as a house divided cannot stand. It is mankind that has divided and put God into boxes, God does not look at us, His Creation through those eyes. Do I believe God designed a specific Way to live life? Yes. As we so obviously can’t just walk in the Way of Love willingly and on our own at our creation. We need structure, order, fertilization, cultivation, experience of Love, and in these we gain knowledge and BECOME the beautiful loving people God created. This is the Main reason of the Fast, for God to show us The Way He wants us to go in our journey, to experience the truth of Love, to show us how to pull the weeds in our inner garden so His seeds planted within can come Forth and bear good fruit toward ALL those we interact with. Did you know The word “Torah” means “teaching”?

So this post I end with a lovely prayer from Islam:

The Fatiha

• In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy!
• Praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds,
• the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy,
• Master of the Day of Judgement.
• It is You we worship; it is You we ask for help.
• Guide us to the straight path: …
• the path of those You have blessed, those who incur no anger and who have not gone astray.

Have a Blessed Day!