Years ago someone suggested I keep a prayer journal.  Normally, a prayer journal is a notebook you write your prayers in.  Some people like to leave space to write how their prayers were answered.  It’s nice to look back and see how much things have changed and to realize God does work through prayers.  What if you opened a prayer journal, though, and it was full of images and color?!  Who says prayers have to be in sentence structure or made of words?  Sometimes it’s not easy to put our thoughts and feelings into words.  If the Spirit can intercede for us with sighs and groans, then surely we can also express our prayers in music, dance, art, and color.  The arts are expressions of our thoughts and feelings, and so are a natural way to pray from the heart.

Sybil MacBeth wrote a book called, “Praying in Color.”  In her book she explains that some people find it calming to engage their body as well as their minds in prayer.  She said it helps people to focus when they’re drawing or coloring as they pray.  Sometimes words accompany the prayers and sometimes just images, or a sense of being with God.  There is no right or wrong way to pray, but many different ways.  This month we tried praying in color at Family Fun Night.  There’s a helpful website to get you started if you’d like try praying in color and see if it helps you to connect with God: http://prayingincolor.com/praying-in-color-praying-in-black-and-white .

Read Romans 8:26-27, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Annie

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*Image from Praying In Color website at: http://prayingincolor.com/examples .  Accessed May 13, 2016.