In this prayer you will be praying with some of the happy events of your life. I am sure that you can recall times that stand out for you as especially happy and joyful. There are also some happy events that have slipped into your unconscious. They are not readily available to you now, but they are there nonetheless, influencing your behavior and helping to make you what you are today. Sometimes God may surprise you in prayer by bringing to your mind some of these long-forgotten happy moments.

All these memories are a rich source of prayer. God was present with you when these events took place. Perhaps you were not aware of God's presence at the time, but he was there. God is always present and active at each moment of your life, breathing his life and love into you, caring for you and challenging you to respond to him in love. All the experiences of your life are in the mind of God. Now you have the opportunity to be with God as together you look at the happy times in your life.

In the past, perhaps you were so involved in your happiness that you did not remember to thank God for his blessings. Since there is no past time with God, you can express your gratitude for all these happy events now.

Here are the steps to follow in this prayer:

1) Take a comfortable position. Relax your body, starting at the top of your head. Concentrate on your head for a moment and then let go. Focus your attention on your eyes and then release that focus. Continue to move down your body to your toes, relaxing each part of yourself.

2) Then relax your mind. Just let go of any concerns that occupy your thoughts. Don't try to force these thoughts out of your mind. Just let your worries or anxieties fall quietly away.

3) Take a few minutes to recall that you are in God's presence. Remember that God is always aware of you, as Isaiah so beautifully writes:

Make a conscious effort to be aware of God. Ask him to make his presence known to you. Without this awareness of God there is no prayer. You may be having good thoughts or happy reflections; but you are not praying. This basic contact with God is the essence of any prayer, so take as much time as you need before moving to the next step.

4) Ask God for the grace you desire from this prayer. It might be greater gratitude for the good things in your life. It might be an appreciation of God's activity in the good times of the past. Whatever grace seems appropriate for this prayer, simply ask God for it in your own words.

5) Be very quiet in God's presence and let him bring to your mind the memories you will share during this time. Often we try to control our time with God by deciding the topic of our prayer. Try to let God take the lead; let him decide what memories will be the subject of this prayer. You may have some delightful surprises at the things that come to mind.

6) Look at each event slowly, turning it over in your mind and feeling again the happiness it brought you in the past. Let this event become alive for you as you see that God and you were both active in this incident.

Your aim here is not how many memories you recall but the quality of your prayer. Even one event could be the subject of your whole prayer if you look at it carefully, see the people involved and enjoy again the happiness you experienced.

7) Tell God how you feel now about this memory. Thank him for this event, for the happiness of the past and the joy you feel now as you relive this experience. Talk to God honestly and simply.

8) Close the prayer by thanking God for this time of closeness with him.

Rocking Chair Prayer

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