How to Pray When You’re Not Religious

I’m not religious, nor have I ever been to church, but I find myself praying every single day.

When I was a kid, religion was a joke in my family. Although my parents both had religion when they were children, they never brought it to us.

As an adult, I can see where it would have helped me to believe in something. Anything. Yet, with all the people I see working to heal the inner child wounds that religion inflicted upon them, I’m okay with it.

I recall going to my best friend’s church with her once. I was confused, uncomfortable, and laughing a bit too much. Her parents didn’t ask me back. In fact, they moved her to a christian school soon after.

I was not the best influence for christian family values. I had no faith. I may have prayed once or twice as a kid, but just in a desperate attempt to get God to make a boy like me. I had no concept of God.

I was a pretty self-centered, heavily traumatized kid with a chip on my shoulder and a penchant for foul language and humor.

God was nowhere near me.

My faith began to take hold after I began a daily meditation practice back in 2019. My intention was merely to find my peace and not react to my adolescent children.

I wasn’t expecting meditation to initiate a direct line of energy that would connect me to my soul, my faith, and God. It took a few years for me to use the term God comfortably. I am still just as comfortable referring to God as Source, the Universe, or Oneness.

I started with 5 minutes a day, then 10, and then began meditating a couple of times a day, as new sensations began to take hold. I could feel subtle energy flowing through my body, and feelings of love and peace simmering in my heart.

Soon, I became aware of inner guidance that felt like gentle nudges and positive feelings, indicating a direction I should follow.

Within several months, I began to sense the presence of loving energy surrounding me. What I came to know as my angels. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, knowing that I was now connecting to God/Source/and my Soul.

It was easy to observe how my thoughts and feelings had generated my reality. Good or bad, I was continuously confirming that what I was thinking and feeling, was what I was creating in my life.

With that understanding, I began intentionally turning whatever worries I had, into affirmations for what I wanted the outcomes to be. I spoke affirmations in the morning after meditation and felt them deeply in my heart.

I found that when I connected to love, peace, and gratitude while centered in my heart, I could direct good feelings wherever I wanted.

I was in fact, praying.

And it wasn’t weird! It felt pretty good.

Now, it’s a daily practice.

I love praying post meditation, or at the end of the day, when I am in bed.

First, I give thanks for all that I have. This helps cultivate good feelings and positive energy in the heart. It is much easier to direct good feelings to others, when we are connected to our heart space.

Allow the joy the world has brought, to come to the surface of your awareness, whatever that may be.

Saying thank you for what you want to have happen is a great way to pray. “Thank you for healing my ankle pain”, “thank you for sending me help in this difficult time”, whatever it may be.

Imagine that what you are praying for is done and have faith.

Trust that if what you pray for is for your highest good, it will be done.

So often we become disgruntled if things don’t turn out the way we wish. Yet I think we can all look back on our life at times with a, “WHEW! Thank God that didn’t happen!”

Trust that what doesn’t happen is likely for the best, in the long run.

I speak prayers first about my life and the people I love, asking for their protection and guidance toward their highest good. And then I send prayers out on a larger scale.

Knowing we have many angels with us and so many in the world, I ask for them to help bring light to those living in darkness. I pray for angels to surround those who are suffering, and to help bring justice and peace to the world.

Whatever suffering becomes apparent in my awareness in the moment, I pray for healing, love, and light to whomever and whatever it may be.

We have no need to associate prayer with religion.

Don’t even call it prayer if it makes you uncomfortable. Call it love, positive feelings, intentions, or vibes. Whatever you call “God” or “prayer”, it just needs to feel authentic to you.

It may feel a little awkward at first. I recall when I first began speaking affirmations, it was certainly a stretch from my comfort zone. Everything feels awkward, when it is new to our habitual routine.

Whatever you call it, I highly recommend sending out “good vibes” to situations you may otherwise worry about. The energy we put out into the world truly makes a difference.

Fear and worry energy, spreads more fear and worry into the world.

Love spreads love. To pray is to spread love.

This is what we need right now.

Prayer has been proven to move mountains. If all we can do is send love out into the world every day, it is a massive contribution to a world otherwise living in fear, worry, and distress.

Have faith in the power of your own individual light and share it with the world. It will undoubtedly improve your life, and the lives of all.