Build a House of Prayer Part-1
Don't Underestimate the Great Power of a Disciplined Prayer Life. This is how you build an unshakeable discipline.
This was originally published to my blog site in September 2022 (pre-Substack membership). I will publish it here to Substack in two segments. Part-one will explain the “House of Prayer” and my meaning behind it, importance and power. Part two will be published later, will talk about the “materials” and methods for building your own House of Prayer.
“They are happy (blessed) who dwell in your house…They are happy whose strength is in you, in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.”
-Psalm 84:5-6
Prayer is the elevation of one's mind and heart, spirit, and soul to God. It is our connection to God. Apart from holy Mass, prayer is the most intimate way of interacting with the divine. I often say, "If you are not praying, you will die"--your mind will grow darker until it "dies," your spirit dies, your soul dies. In some cases, even your body will die without prayer, because prayer connects us to our source of life, which is God. Without that source of life, we fall deeper into darkness, we fall deeper into sin, and many sins become habitual and can result in death (immediately or gradually).
I think most people of faith—particularly Catholics—understand the importance of prayer (←-click to read my article about it). But most of us don't realize the importance of a disciplined prayer life throughout the day. Praying just a little is not enough. Praying a lot may not be enough, either, if you aren't praying well.
A disciplined prayer life is not just about the quantity of prayers you say in a day. It's about what prayers or types of prayers you say, how you pray them, and when you pray.
Discipline in Prayer
“I was living a life with prayer rather than a life of prayer…”
Recently I decided that I wanted a more disciplined prayer life. My prayer life, before this, was a little more sporadic and undisciplined. I was living a life with prayer rather than a life of prayer. With tremendous help from God, I've been able to build and maintain a more ordered, disciplined prayer life, and it has become a fortress—like a House of Prayer that surrounds my day. Rather than my daily, ordinary life dominating my prayer life—which attempts futilely to coexist with my ordinary life—my ordinary life now exists within this House of Prayer.
Within this house, newness blossoms. New strength, new wisdom, new determination, new silence (I can't explain that one). My regimen of prayers in the morning, through the day, in the evening, and at night marks a perimeter of holiness; a sacred space within time. A space that is claimed by God, protected by God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and where Jesus is more present than he was before. All spiritual Goods take root, grow, and produce fruit within this House of Prayer.
In Part two I’ll give the reader some helpful tips and guidance for building a “House of Prayer” for yourself.
Also consider reading my essay, “Prayer is Power, Only if you Wield it”
In the very near future I’ll be producing some podcasts to coach and guide you in prayer and to teach listeners how to meditate. But it’ll only be available to subscribers. Please consider it. It’s free and easy.
PART 2 is Linked Below
Build a House of Prayer, Part 2
In Part 1 I explained what a “House of Prayer” is, and why there is power in a disciplined prayer life. You should read that first. Click here to read it!
This is fantastic. I've never thought of it in exactly this way, but I have dreamed of building a ritual of prayer to guide my day. Not quite as rigorous as the liturgy of the hours, but markers that I can use to mark the day. I have some prayers I say when I wake and before I sleep, but would be worth adding some other prayers to ritualize milemarkers throughout the day.
Thank you for this!