Prayer at Home – Creating a Prayer Space at your Home
To an Orthodox Christian, the home is called the ‘little church’. So creating or carving out a little space at our home, where we are reminded of God’s presence continually, is an important step in connecting our lives with our Creator God.
Here are some simple ways to set up a prayer space at your home.
One: Choose a corner of your home for setting up a prayer space. It does not literally need to be a corner, but a small empty space in our homes is enough.
Two: Place a small table against a wall, on which you can place the Bible, a candle, the lectionary and maybe some song books.
Three: On the wall above the table, keep a cross (it can be even a simple hand-made cross from sticks) If you cannot place it on the wall for some reason, keep it on the table. On the table or on the wall above the table, keep an icon of Christ or a picture of Jesus. These will always serve as a reminder of the object of our worship – the Triune God.
Here are some things to remember during your prayer times.
Four: Light the candle just before you start the prayer. This is to remind us about Jesus who said “I am the light of the world.”
Five: Follow the liturgy for the time of prayer.
Six: Stand. When we do the liturgy, the prayers, Bible reading and Kauma (adoration) – we should do it standing, facing the wall which has the cross.
Seven: Involve your children: According to their age, let them help in prayer – maybe they can help setting up the prayer space, light the candle, read the different Bible portions or in reading and sharing prayer requests etc. Remember this is how faith is transmitted from one generation to another.
Eight: Do not forget that the prayer time is not about ‘preaching’ or ‘teaching’ – it’s about prayer (praying for our country, it’s leaders and the crisis the entire world is facing now)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to stand while praying? This is a sign of respect and adoration to the Triune God, and this is this the way prayer has always been done since the early centuries.
Why can’t we just sit in a circle and pray? Although this can seem like a good idea, remember who our worship and prayers are directed to: God Almighty and His only begotten Son, Jesus. But, when we sit in a circle, we will all either face someone or someone will end up being at the centre! That is why we turn towards the wall/corner and face the cross which reminds us of this reality.
It is said that if we do something consistently for 21 days, it will become a habit for us. Let us make prayer at home a habit for us and our families, the ‘little church’.
