Prayer

Much of our prayer at Holy Cross church is corporate, that is to say we do it together bringing together our concerns for the world and the community of Bilbrook as well as naming before God all of those people who are ill or who have recently died and have asked the church for our prayers.

We pray at every act of worship in the church and before all meetings. Our priest is also invited to say prayers at the start of each Parish Council meeting.

At Holy Cross church we are happy to pray for anyone on the community who are in need. There are several ways you can let us know you would like us to pray for you or a loved one:

• Call the priest or the Wardens with the name of the person that you want to be prayed for during our services. The prayer may be for someone who is ill or in hospital or awaiting test results. The person may be someone in great need either spiritual, practical or financial. All we ask is that you check with the person you want praying for that they are happy to be prayed for in public worship.

• You can call the confidential prayer line on 01902 844104 or fill in the prayer request form. The prayer line is a group of people who will include any requested prayers for either people or world events in their own prayers. All you have to do is let them know what you would like praying for. All contributions will be treated with the strictest confidence.

• You can fill in a form on the prayer request wall in church. All requests will be prayed for at the main Sunday morning service.

As well as our corporate prayers, there is another side to our prayer life, our own individual prayers, as we try to share in Christ’s prayer to his Father, that his will be done, his kingdom come.

Below we want to give you a little bit of advice on how to improve your own personal prayer life.

You don’t have to know any prayers if you want to pray – in fact, words can often get in the way. Picture Jesus, and then say what is in your heart, what you feel.

Remember!
God hears every prayer – but not all prayers are answered in the way we might expect or desire.

‘Arrow’ Prayers

can be offered to God anywhere, at any time. But thankfully we don’t live all our lives in moments of extreme crisis. What about day-to-day praying? We need to come closer to God, to experience His love for us and to try to make sense of where we are in the world. Prayer is the way we do this.

How to start?

Use your hand. Your fingers can be used to bring to mind different things to pray for.

thumb
this is the strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things in your life, like home and family, relationships that support and sustain you.

index finger

this is the pointing finger. Pray for all those people and things in your life who guide and help you. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency services and so on.

middle finger

this is the tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in the world, like world leaders and their governments, members of parliament and local councillors, the Royal Family, other world leaders and their governments.

ring finger

this is the weakest finger on your hand. It can not do much by itself. Remember the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the bereaved.

little finger

this is the smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself.

When should I pray?

Traditionally, prayer times have been morning and evening, but you can choose a time which is best for you. It helps to be somewhere quiet, where you can have some time for yourself.

Do I have to kneel?

Kneeling is the traditional posture for penitence and standing for praise, but you can pray anywhere – walking, standing, sitting, whatever feels comfortable.

What else do I need to know?

Be creative – use music, a stone, a feather, a flower, or a candle to help you focus – if you are very young, or elderly, be careful with candles!

Prayer activity is a discipline – it can be difficult at times, just like keeping fit, being on a diet, or keeping weeds down in the garden! Little and often is best, but don’t give up! No prayer, however inadequate you may feel it to be, is ever wasted or of no value.

What next?

Build up a collection of favourite prayers and sayings -anything that speaks to you. You can find them in greeting cards, cuttings in the press or bookmarks and prayer cards. You could make a scrapbook for them.

Lichfield Diocese also produces a really good daily prayer diary which can be found on the Lichfield Prayer Diary tab.

Another good source for prayer intentions is the Church of England website. There are a series of prayers for specific World events and people as well as links to morning and evening prayer ideas.  These prayers can be found on the Church of England Diary tab.

There are also a series of prayer cards on the Prayer Table at the back of church that you are welcome to take away with you to help with your own prayers. We also publish a weekly prayer diary in the Parish Magazine that will help you think about and pray for different areas of the world and the needs of the local community.

Prayer request form