by Dr. Ruth Anderson

The other morning I sat in prayerful meditation and asked God what He wanted me to share with the audience I was speaking with later that day.

This is what I heard: “Teach them how to pray. Teach them how to pray for each other.”

I didn’t always know how to pray. I had times in my life when I felt my prayers were falling on deaf ears. Eventually, I stopped praying. I realize now that during that period in my life, I didn’t know how to pray. I thought prayer was a one-way conversation: my talking to God. I did not realize that prayer was possible as a two-way communication with time spent both speaking with and listening to God.

So what changed? During the illness and passing of my best friend, I was reacquainted with my sixth sense of intuition. Combining intuition with meditation and prayer enabled me to sense, hear and see the Spiritual Divinity. From that point on, I was hungry to hear what messages God, Divine Mother, and the archangels had to share. This new ability has been completely life-altering for me.

Set Aside Time to Pray

I spend time every morning in prayerful meditation. Relationships require time and effort to develop healthy communication habits. I know that it is extremely difficult to remain in an intimate relationship with someone and say, “I will talk with you Tuesday for 5 minutes and then again on Sunday for 10 minutes.” Communication with Spiritual Divinity is no different.

I choose a time and place for prayerful meditation where I know I won’t be interrupted or rushed. The optimal time for me to meditate is the hour before my family rolls out of bed in the morning.

I don’t mind setting my alarm for when it is still dark out. I crave having this time for myself. Once out of bed, I head to a quiet location. Sitting up comfortably, I close my eyes and see myself sitting at the foot of God. I know that we all think of God in our individual ways. For me, I imagine a vast energetic presence that doesn’t resemble a human. Out of respect and reverence, I see myself sitting at the foot of that energetic presence, although I don’t know that it has any feet. It is in this place that I feel that I am loved and truly “home.” I refer to God as “He,” although the energy that is God to me is not simply male.

If somehow my day doesn’t get started by checking in with God, I find that I don’t feel grounded or prepared. It isn’t until I claim that time back and get time with God that I feel that all is right with my world.

Be Still and Know that I am God

God wants you to know this about communicating with him: “Come with an open heart and an open mind.”

In meditation, I start by first feeling the connection. Many days, God starts by giving me a color that I can see in my mind’s eye. The color is a gift of chakra healing especially for me and where I am in my life. Once I feel that I am truly in God’s presence, I wait. Rather than my being the one to start speaking, it is equally, if not more important, for me to listen to what God has to say. Sometimes I hear the words, sometimes I am shown visual pictures, and at times I feel it in my body. After I listen to what is presented, I ask follow-up questions or share concerns that I have. I always receive clarifying answers or guidance.

Silence the Chatter

In order for me to hear God, it is important that I quiet the chatter in my head. This has gotten much easier for me over time. It is important to build in solitude so my heart and mind can be open without the distraction of the nightly news, politics, or even that new novel that I am having a hard time putting down. Speaking for myself, I can’t hear God if I have a running commentary already playing in my mind.

When I first learned how to meditate, I sat and all kinds of images came into my mind. Removing those thoughts proved difficult. The harder I tried to push them away, the harder they persisted. One technique I successfully used was to acknowledge each of the thoughts as they came up. I then tied a figurative string around each of those thoughts or concerns and handed them up to God. I found that handing those people or circumstances to God helped them to disappear out of my conscious thoughts.

Allow Yourself to Experience Answers

God said, “Listen for my words, allow yourself to see pictures I send to your mind, allow yourself to feel. Ask me questions if you don’t understand. And allow my answers to come to you.” The more you are open to hearing God’s word, the more you will be able to hear God’s voice, even when you are not directly in prayer.

Pray Without Ceasing

I am a spiritual being having a physical experience. I choose to stay closely connected with God throughout my day. Sometimes I pray when I am driving across town, doing dishes, or standing in line in the grocery store. I know that these frequent check-ins enable me to put things in perspective and help my interactions with others be positive and uplifting.

God is not Santa Clause

In my earlier prayer life, I was guilty of the laundry list of prayer requests. I think this was akin to a divine “Honey-do list.” I can assure you that my husband and kids do not appreciate it when I ask for them to complete the activities on a Honey-do list, and I can’t fathom the audacity of a human handing one to the heavenly creator. Yet, how many of us are guilty of just that?

What about Unanswered Prayers?

Answered prayers do not always look how we want them to look. By going into prayer believing that there is only one correct outcome, we set ourselves up for disappointment. We assume our prayers were not heard or answered. Then we are not able to hear the answers that could come through to us.

I believe that God loves us all of the time and is there to support us when life happens, but not necessarily there to change life when it happens to us. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask for the miracles, because sometimes miracles do happen.

Intercession

Intercession is the act of praying for someone who may be incapable of praying for themselves. By bringing concerns of others to God and putting them before our own is a beautiful gift. When I bring someone in intercession before God, I imagine that person with me at the foot of God. I share the concerns, lift that person up before God and allow for God’s answers, not demanding on an outcome I perceive to be right.

Holy Communion

While the term Holy Communion is generally reserved for the sacrament observing Christ’s Last Supper, I have been shown a second meaning for the term. I have seen Holy Communion as sacred time spent communing with God. This can be done at any time, and anywhere. I often end my prayerful meditation by saying, “I love you.” I can not tell you the number of times I have heard the same sentiment directed toward me.

Those of us that love God are so fortunate that we are not alone in this world. We have our creator with us at all times willing to listen and participate in our lives. My hope is that prayerful meditation can be a means that is helpful to you in further discovering the role that the Spiritual Divinity can play in your life.

About Dr. Ruth Anderson

Website: The Ministry Online
Facebook: The Ministry Online
YouTube: Watch Ruth Anderson’s video at Enlightened World Network