FAQ About the Logos Prayer

So--How Do I Pray the Logos Prayer?

Praying a Logos Prayer isn't difficult. In fact, almost everyone has already done it. If you've ever had a near-miss car accident and in the split second you had to react you said, "Oh, God!" then you've prayed a Logos Prayer. God heard your two-word prayer just as much as He would have heard a long-winded oratory. In fact, sometimes our deepest, most heartfelt prayers are the shortest. That, in essence, is the Logos Prayer.

The Logos Prayer is simply a word or phrase from the Bible that has deep spiritual meaning, that you use repeatedly to express your core-level feelings to God.

Romans 8:26 (NIV) says, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Perhaps words cannot express what you're feeling, because your emotions and thoughts are so tangled that they can't begin to sum it all up. Don't worry--the Holy Spirit understands, even if you have only groans.

Words (plural) might not be able to express your feelings, but maybe that's because you're complicating things. Instead of filling the air with many words, try choosing one good phrase or word, or Logos, and repeat that over and over to God, placing your full intention and feeling into that one word.

Is there a correct posture for the Logos Prayer?

Posture isn't important. The key is that you should be comfortable. This isn't Yoga or Zen or anything like it. It is simply communicating with God by employing one meaningful word, rather than lots of complicated words. You can pray theLogos when you're driving your car, taking a walk, sitting quietly, or riding a bike. The nice thing about The LogosPrayer is that it can be done wherever you are, whatever else you're doing. It doesn't take a tremendous amount of mental energy, so you can pray it while you're engaged in another activity. However, I find that it feels more like communing with God when I'm not multi-tasking.

How Do I Choose a Word for my Logos Prayer?

First, go to the Bible. This isn't a mantra or magical incantation. This is praying God's word.

Second, recognize that you're not finding a "Bible promise" that you can hold God accountable for. When I was first taught about "praying God's word," I was told that you do that by finding promises that God made to other people in the Bible and then claiming them as your own. The problem is that when you do that, you're actually threatening God. It's as if you're saying, "OK, God--your honor is at stake here. You need to give me what I'm asking for, because the Bible says I can have it. If you don't give it to me, then you won't be showing your word to be true." Do you see the problem with that kind of approach to praying God's word?

Third, know that it's OK to adopt someone else's prayer as your own. For example, when the people prayed, "Hosanna!" on the day of the Triumphal Entry, that's a word that you can hang onto. It simply means, "Lord, save!" Or, you could choose a short version of a longer prayer like, "Thy kingdom come." Or, "Thy will be done." Or simply, "Amen" (which means "Let it be."

Fourth, see if you can glean this word from the Bible passage that you're reading for the day. I'll have an article about how to do this, coming soon. Let God's word speak to you from the pages of the Bible. Then speak back to God, using a short phrase or single word that you found there. Letting God's word inform your prayers makes your conversation with God fresh all the time. It keeps you from imposing your own will on your prayers, and ensures that you're grounded in God's word.

How Often Do I Repeat the Logos Prayer?

The Logos Prayer is like a shampoo bottle that says, "Lather, rinse, repeat." The thing is that you determine when and how often you repeat the Logos that you've chosen for the day. You could set the alarm on your cell phone to go off every hour on the hour. Or, you could make a deal with yourself that every time you actually notice the texture of your cross necklace on your neck, you pray the prayer. You could sit quietly, repeating the Logos over and over for a few minutes, or even longer if you desire. You might make up your own tune and sing the Logos while you're working in the garden.

My personal habit is that when I have my morning devotion, I find the Logos in the scripture for the morning. I use the Protestant Prayer Beads and repeat a longer passage of scripture, with the Logos somewhere in the scripture. Then around midday, I use the beads again, but I say the Jesus Prayer (I'll write another article on this soon) with the beads. Finally, in the evening, I'll use the beads again, and simply use the one-word Logos that is at the heart of the scripture from the morning.

Those who practice Contemplative Prayer or Centering Prayerare familiar with the Logos Prayer. They intersperse long periods of silent waiting between repetitions of their "sacred word," which is, in essence the same thing as the Logos. The main difference is that the Logos Prayer isn't just a reminder of something sacred, that grounds you and brings your wandering thoughts back to prayer. It is an expression of your personal feelings before God, an invocation of God's presence, and a request for God's blessing, all rolled into one word.

Is This The Only Way I Should Pray?

The Logos Prayer isn't the only way you should pray. I do this in addition to any longer, extemporaneous, intercessory, or other kinds of prayer. If the Logos Prayer were the only way you prayed, your prayers would become anemic and ritualistic. In fact, if there is any one way that you pray all the time, your prayers will become anemic and ritualistic. I offer the LogosPrayer as one out of many methods of prayer. I hope it blesses your life as much as it has mine. If it isn't something that resonates with you, then I encourage you to check out the other posts throughout this blog that deal with prayer in general. Prayer is a great adventure that the believer takes with God. I pray that your adventure is an exciting one.