How to Pray with SHALOM

for individual or personal prayer

1. Reverence
   
   We are invited by desire of God's presence to sit in His shadow and listen to His words. So we create in our minds a sacred space and time - that is, we offer our time to God. We withdraw from our preoccupations and welcome God into our conscious selves. For this we need a quiet place, be it in our office, home, school or factory.
   
   
2. Invitation
   
   Then in our openness to God, we call on the Holy Spirit to stay with us as we sit before the Lord. According to the availability of our time:-
   
   
   1. in the morning, we pray as Jesus did (Mk. 1:35) using Ps. 92:2
      It is good to give thanks to the Lord
      pray to Your name, O most High
      To declare Your steadfast love in the morning.
      Amen.
      
      
   2. or in the evening:
      O, Spirit of our Lord Jesus
      "Stay with us, for it is towards
      evening and the day is now far spent." (Lk. 24:29)
      
      
3. Open Your Bible
   
   Look for the day's readings as indicated for each day in SHALOM.
   
   
4. Read
   
   Read the passages slowly, as God reveals Himself in the Scripture.
   
   
5. In Silence
   
   Pray: Lord move my heart and help me to become a receptacle of Your Word!
   
   
6. Read SHALOM and Reflect
   
   Read the reflection for the day, and ask:
   - is there a special invitation or challenge offered to me?
   - how can I respond?
   
   
7. Pray
   
   Remain in the presence of the Lord who challenges or inspires you to yield to Him in prayer.
   - with the insight you have gained, thank God for the gift of life.
   - then ask for God's merciful love to cover you with newness and confess your shortcomings as you reflected today.
   - pray for your needs.
   - pray for your neighbour's or BEC/BCC's needs.
   - conclude with the monthly Daily Offering and an Our Father.