How to Write a Reminder Prayer
The four different types of prayer and why reminder prayers are the most effective.
There is a church next to the school I went to as a kid. Every morning before class, I went there to pray. Kneeling at a pew close to the altar, I had conversations with God, seeking his blessings and guidance.
I recall the sublime atmosphere of the church — created by the light shining through the stained glass windows, the statues of the saints, the graves of the long-deceased, and the imposing structure of the church itself. I felt a direct connection to the divine there, which is why I went every day without fail.
Near the end of my schooling, I started questioning the faith that I had been brought up in. But through all my doubts, my connection to the divine remained strong. The boy who went to speak to God every day was alive inside me and through him, I was guided and protected — even through my most cynical and despondent days.
I felt the presence of the divine in my life, but I had lost the words to pray. And then one day, in 2015, I woke up one morning with the words — for father future, in mother nature — in my mind. I knew at once that these words were significant. But it took me a long time to understand the depth of their meaning.
Over the years, I created my own prayer and these days, I pray almost every day. In this newsletter, I want to help you write your own prayer. But first, you must know that there are at least 4 different types of prayer —
Request prayer — where you ask for something from the divine.
Gratitude prayer — where you say thank you for all the blessings.
Praise & worship — acknowledging the awesomeness of the divine.
Reminder prayer — where you remind yourself of who you are and what you’re all about, by the grace of the divine.
The first 3 types of prayer are quite common, but Reminder Prayers are less so. Let’s take a closer look at them and learn how you can write one of your own.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” — Carl Sagan
Whoever you are and whatever you are all about — is by the grace of something greater than you. At the largest scale, this is the universe. On a smaller scale, this is the world, the country, the community, and the family you are born into and grow up in. Even if you are an atheist who doesn’t believe in God, you can address your reminder prayer to the universe or to the earth.
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
So, any prayer that is a reminder of who you are and what you’re all about must begin by addressing that which is greater than you, by the grace of which you exist and do all that you do. I like to begin my prayer by saying — “in mother nature, for father future”. Additionally, each section of my prayer begins with “By your grace…” and then continues with whatever I want to remind myself about. For example —
By your grace, I am a spiritual being having a human experience, wielding a lightsaber of love and life. I am aligned with my Dharma, I trust my Karma, I perform my Yajna, and I am in Yoga.
By your grace, I digest distress and increase embodiment. I love myself and treat myself as someone I love - truly & deeply. I build up & release the tensions in my body with grace and ease.
By your grace, I am in tune with life & my timing is perfect! I am at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, at all times.
To write your own reminder prayer, simply write down a list of who you believe you really are and what you believe your life is all about — all the important things that you want to remind yourself about every day. Then simply add “By your grace…” to the beginning of each sentence or paragraph.
You can think of a reminder prayer as a more effective form of affirmation. The key difference between the two is that an affirmation is about you and what you’re all about. Whereas in a reminder prayer, you acknowledge that all of this is possible by the grace of something greater than you. Less ego, more grace.
Write your reminder prayer today and start saying it out loud every day. You can start with just one line. Your prayer can evolve over time as you learn more about who you are and what you’re all about. So just write the first draft and start praying!
Really Helpful Frank!