Prayer Tips

Guideposts Video: Inspiring True Stories

[MUSIC PLAYING] So, how do you pray in the middle of a busy day? Here I am at work, in front of my computer, and a couple of years ago, I got this idea that, you know, I came in, and we had to change our password every day, and so I’d used everything I could think of– Rick H, Rick Hamlin, Hamlin R, Ricky, Carol, my wife’s name. 

And I thought, I know what I can do, I’ll put in the name of somebody I need to pray for, and make that my password. So logging on, I put in– well, it was my friend Scott. He’d had something that was going on. So instead of– logging in, I put Scott, and then I’d kind of think about him. And I’ve been doing that every month when I change my password. And you would be surprised, but usually after 30 days, things have changed, and they’re better. Sometimes I’ll just put in something for myself. I’ll type in, peace of mind, and that will be my password. 

Another thing I learned from my friend Claire, who was a movie executive out in LA– this was back in the days when the “Star Wars” movies were first coming out, and she remembered how they zapped everybody. Well, she was in a meeting, and it was pretty rancorous, and nothing was getting accomplished, and everybody was being angry, and arguing. And she thought, I’m just going to zap people with love. I’m going to just visualize a big zapping of God’s love right across the table. She did, and things kind of calmed down. So sometimes when things are a little tense, or I’m in a meeting and I’m not focused, I think about that zapping. It’s just a little visualization thing. 

And finally, I think it’s really good to have a prayer that you can say to yourself, and you know so well that you don’t even have to concentrate on it, but it can go there in the back of your head. My friend David uses something that is from an old mystic– from an English mystic. He’ll say to himself, all is well, all is well, all is well. Nobody has to know. It’s just something going on in your head. I had another friend, she would say The Lord’s Prayer. You can use just a little phrase of The Lord’s Prayer. And once, she knew she was so angry she couldn’t even remember the words, but in her head, she said The Lord’s Prayer. 

So try those things in an office when you’re busy. I mean, prayer, you can’t do wrong. Just trying to pray is praying. It will get you through the day.