Spiritual leaders often ask us what we most desire in life, because our deepest, truest desires are one way in which God calls us to walk this path.
The “Prayer of Desires” is one of my favorite practices because it allows us to declare our desires before God openly, unashamedly, and with emotion. It involves using all of our senses to create a scene in our imagination that represents our desire, and then praying in and through that desire.
David's Prayer
I first learned of this type of prayer in Greg Braden's book, The Isaiah Effect. Braden calls it “David's Prayer,” named after a Native American friend who introduced him to the idea of placing one's deepest desires in one's surroundings and offering them to the Creator. In David's Prayer, David is in the drought-stricken desert southwest and intends, in his words, to “pray for rain.” (i) Rather than praying for rain, he goes into a state of prayer in which, out of gratitude for all of creation, he feels, touches, tastes, smells, and sees what the land seems to need most: rain. Having done that, David commits the outcome to the Creator. Braden, who studies quantum physics, argues that aligning ourselves with our most fervent desires in gratitude and feeling deeply what it would be like to have those desires fulfilled is an action that creates change in the world. With this prayer we can “pray for peace.”
Celtic version
The Celtic version of this practice, found in Tanis Helliwell's book Take Your Soul to Work, does much the same thing (ii), and again, you leave the outcome up to God, but Helliwell adds an important step: you ask God what you can do to make this desire come true, and then wait for an opportunity to do it.
exercise
First, take a moment to calm your mind and say a prayer of gratitude for all that has been, is, and will be.
Express your deepest heart's desire before God, and then pause for a moment to see if that desire remains the same or if you would like to express it in a different way.
Visualize your desire. Feel it. Touch it. Taste it. Smell it. Make it a reality in your imagination. Stay there and see how the scene of your desire develops or changes. Continue with this step for a few minutes.
Let go of a specific outcome. Pray that God's desires will be met with yours, or that He will change your desires as needed. Notice if something changes as a result of that request.
Ask God how you can help him make this desire come true. Be silent and allow Him to speak to you through your imagination.
Finally, I thank God for this request and the opportunity to pray through it. I thank God for being with me in this prayer.
Immediately after the prayer, take a moment to reflect on the time you prayed with your desire. What surprised you? What moved you? What inspired you? What unsettled you? How did you feel God's presence during this prayer? Did anything change about your desire while you were praying?
In the days following this prayer, be aware that God may be giving you opportunities to accomplish your desires, and when they do, act prayerfully and remember to thank God for the opportunity and the eyes to see it.
Let go and let God
We tend to get caught up in our desires and become overly self-centered. This prayer helps us let go of our desires by surrendering them to God. Say this prayer when you have a desire that persists and feels important. Use this prayer to visualize and promote peace in the world.
If you like this prayer and are looking for more ways to pray, be sure to check out my book, 50 Ways to Pray, from Abingdon Press. You'll find this prayer and 49 other prayers you can try.
(i) This wonderful story is published in The Isaiah Effect (Three Rivers Press, 2000), pp. 160-173.
(ii) Take Your Soul To Work, Tanis Helliwell (Adams Media, 1999) pp. 299-300.
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