Praying for another person is a way of loving them. It holds them in the flow of divine energy when they may have difficulty seeking it for themselves. When a community prays for someone, it lends the strength of its collective faith at a time when an individual may grow weary.
Which all sounds good. But really, how do we do that?
If I want to pray for you, it helps to begin by trying to understand what you’re going through. It’s good to acknowledge how things really are for you, at least the best I can. Prayer is mysterious and powerful, but it is not magic. It cannot negate a crisis or remove the traces of a traumatic event. The struggle to create a life in the midst of challenges to body, mind, and spirit is real and ongoing, and that is where we have to start.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what another needs most. In some cases my own emotion surrounding their situation makes a specific prayer impossible to express. Other times I simply don’t know what is troubling them. One way to pray when words fail is to see the one for whom we’re praying held in a beautiful white light.
I envision the light enfolding and permeating their being, healing their wounds, buffering them from external shocks, and strengthening their ability to see beauty and meaning in their life. I imagine the easing of body, mind, and spirit through the healing warmth of the light. I think of the light as always there, the divine support given by grace to each of us.
This way of praying works whether we know someone well or only by sight. It has meaning whether we feel closeness or tension with the person we’re praying for. It is a prayer we can use to support our leaders and bolster the everyday people in our lives.
If you’re interested in the subject of praying for others, you might want to read the previous post:
What it Means to Say “You’re in My Prayers”
How do you go about praying for others?
Susan,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I have especially found the
pieces on praying for someone to be helpful. It has always been difficult
for me to know exactly how to pray for someone or even myself for that
matter. It seems that we impose our view on the person or situation and
I know how limited my view is. I really like the idea of envisioning the person
in a white light. Thanks so much.
I’m glad to hear from you, Terrell, and glad these posts have been of use to you. I don’t know why we expect ourselves to somehow just know how to pray, and to be comfortable with it. That attitude is such a contrast, for example, with the care that Buddhists take with teaching and learning about meditation.
As much as I love words, it has still been helpful to me to learn about wordless prayer. It makes sense that it would resonate with a visual artist, too.
Susan,
Thank you so much for writing this blog. It is a reminder of a whole aspect of this complicated life that often gets pushed away. I love that this post tells how to pray for someone, anyone, because often we are asked to put someone in our prayers. Also this allows the energy to go where it needs to, rather than me worrying if I am askig for the ight thing, or getting hung up on the very real power of words.
Lovely and beautiful and accessible.
Peace,
lp
Thank you, Lynn. It means a lot to know that this is helpful to you, and I appreciate your affirmation so much. You’re right in saying that words are both powerful and capable of standing in our way. When they cease being helpful, it’s good to have ways of setting them aside.