c. 1996 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) It’s not all that difficult to pray, according to David Yount, a syndicated columnist and author of”Breaking Through God’s Silence: A Guide to Effective Prayer (Simon & Schuster).

Here are what Yount sees as 10 keys to effective prayer:

1. Be intentional. Resist bothering God when you are bored.

2. Use discipline and regularity in prayer. Listen to God as you pray.

3. Prayer is not a magic formula. Be cautious in your requests.

4. Be humble. As Coleridge wrote, “He prayest best who lovest best.”

5. Prayer is not chat. Fewer words leave more room for God to answer.

6. Do not hold God responsible for adversity. It rains on the just and unjust alike.

7. Don’t expect inspiration. Even mystics experience dry spells.

8. Resist the urge to remake God in your own image. God is not co-pilot or comrade. He is a mystery.

9. Pray, always, for others.

10. Conclude every prayer, “Not as I will, but as you will.”

MJP END RNS