Prayer

Mariners would like to believe that prayer is at the heart of all that we are and do as a Christian community.

Prayer is simply the name we give to the 2 way communication between ourselves and our God. It is not something to be showy or proud about. Jesus himself taught us a simple way of praying, familiarly called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (which can be found in Matthew chapter 6 in the Bible). Acknowledging God as a loving father, yet holy and to be honoured above all, it encourages us to seek his kingdom (all that is good) and therefore his will to be done. We are then encouraged to humbly ask for our daily needs to be met and that we might be forgiven our wrongs, whilst equally not holding on to wrongs that others have done to us. Jesus’s ‘example’ prayer concludes with us asking God to help us make good choices and to protect us from harm, once again acknowledging that he is in control and that he is worth all recognition and praise.

It is a powerfully practical prayer, which covers most bases when expanded and personalised within the context of the circumstances of our own and others’ lives, and all those of the world too. And yet prayer is not just about us talking, but also quiet listening – tuning into the very heartbeat of God – that we in turn might hear something of his good will and purpose for ourselves and others and act according to his promptings.

At Mariners we therefore encourage each other individually to pray, and also corporately when we meet, believing that God really cares. We often see our prayers wonderfully answered. We regularly pray for individuals as we become aware of specific needs, and for healing and wholeness within our community as a whole. If we believe God to be the loving, kind and faithful friend he has shown himself to be – able to do far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3 v 20,21) it makes sense that we talk to him often, and we would count it a privilege to pray for you too.