A Meditation on the “Jesus Prayer”

In focusing the mind on God, many have taught that we approach the “Prayer of the Heart,” thought to be enjoined by Saint Paul:

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:9-12)

We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good [both] for each other and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22)

For a long time, prayer confused me. Petitionary prayer made little sense, perhaps because it seemed to me that the point of Christianity was to do God’s will, not to have some idol who could be convinced to do our bidding. To beg for receptivity thus made perfect sense as a way to attune myself to the divine. When I did try to pray, I often fumbled over my words, saying too much (or, in another sense, too little). Having set prayer times (with set prayers) helped with this, but so did getting a prayer rope and adopting the Jesus Prayer (perhaps, in a way, this helped even more, since it is easy to adjust to saying such a short prayer). The Bible, of course, exhorts us not to waste our words (something I could be much, much better at):

Those who spare their words are truly knowledgeable,
and those who are discreet are intelligent.
Even fools, keeping silent, are considered wise;
if they keep their lips closed, intelligent.
(Proverbs 17:27-28)

Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)

The “Jesus Prayer” is, in a sense, the perfect prayer: short, repetitive, self-reflective. It leads us into a love of God, a desire for His mercy, and thus a recognition of our own sinfulness. It would be hypocritical of me to bombard you with more words now. I will just say that I hope it may lead you into peace as it has so many others, myself included, even as I struggle.