Public toilet prayers & learning from MichelangeloJoanna Callender - 3 Feb 2016

“Lord, make me see your glory in every place.”  

-attributed to Michelangelo Buonarroti, artist

If nearly half the uk regularly pray, how come I keep forgetting to acknowledge god's presence?  

When was the last time you prayed in a slightly unusual place? I recently heard a story of a Christian who was frustrated that they didn’t make enough time for prayer. Their solution? To pray each time they used an automated hand dryer in public toilets. 

Sounds strange, perhaps, but the story stuck with me and now each time I find an automated hand dryer I find I end up praying too. 

Prayer is one of the bread-and-butter basics of Christianity that sustains and helps us grow in faith.  It should excite us that we’re able to communicate with our creator wherever we are. Yet for me, it often has the opposite effect. Knowing that God is with me all the time is completely great, but it also makes me feel a bit guilty when I realise that I haven’t acknowledged His presence where I am; whether in my office in the morning, or at my dinner table in the evening. I feel this pressure to be consistently aware, but also feel the reality that means things get in the way and knock God off centre stage. 

What would it look like if we invited Jesus into every place we went to? Not to feel guilty when we’ve forgotten to acknowledge his presence, but to become accustomed to remembering that He is with us. 

“Lord, make me see your glory in every place”

Michelangelo is still one of the world’s best known sculptors; his work is exhibited all over Italy and beyond. How incredible that he specifically prayed for God’s presence to meet him wherever he was; and how exciting that we can do the same today, whatever our daily life looks like. By inviting God’s glory into our places we’re embracing the amazing reality that God longs to meet with us at any point, irrespective of our location.

A practical way to do this comes from a new project, Prayers on the Move, that's taking this idea further. Their research suggests that 42% of people in the UK already regularly pray; even those who don’t identify with a religion. So their invitation is for anyone to try prayer for themselves, any time, anywhere. 

I love what they’re doing because prayer isn’t just for those who have been to Church, or who know a decent amount of Bible verses. The reality is that it’s not complicated to pray. And it’s not complicated to pray in new places outside of church or your living room sofa.  Let’s embrace the challenge to fully open other parts of our lives to God’s presence and to engage with Him wherever we are.

You can find out more about Prayers on the Move on their website.

Check out our own video on the topic: "Why Pray?"