You can be a Girl Friday 4 God by praying. There are many different kinds of prayer. The most powerful ones come from the depths of your heart. Prayers can be short or long, formal or informal, intentional or general. You can pray by yourself or with others. Remember that prayer is a conversation with God. So, it’s important to spend some time listening for His response. God often responds in quiet and unexpected ways.
Prayers tend to fall into a few different categories.
Adoration: These are prayers of praise and worship.
Thanksgiving: These are prayers of gratitude. We give thanks to God.
Petition: These are prayers where we ask God for something.
Contrition: These are prayers where we tell God we are sorry and ask for His forgiveness.
Spontaneous: These are prayers which seem to come out from the depth of our soul.
Sometimes we need a guide. There are many “rote” prayers – prayers that are traditional or formal. These are like conversation starters. We can start with these prayers and then transition into more spontaneous prayer.
Click here to visit our Prayers page.
Marge is in her nineties but she still makes time for prayer every day. She prays the Rosary at her church after daily Mass. Over the decades she has served God in many ways, including as a Sacristan. Marge sets a wonderful example – that you are never too old to be a Girl Friday 4 God!
A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place. It can be a simple trip to a shrine near your hometown or a prayerful pursuit of a destination halfway around the world. Cindy, along with her husband, hiked the Camino de Santiago by way of the Vida de la Plata route from the southern part to the northwestern part of Spain. It took 41 days to hike roughly 600 miles. They carried prayer petitions with them for people from their hometown and they stopped to pray at many churches along the way. Cindy ended her pilgrimage at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral where it is believed that the remains of St. James, the first apostle to be martyred, are. You can be a Girl Friday 4 God by spending time with Him in ways great or small.
A retreat is time you take to focus on your relationship with God. There are many types of retreats. You can go on one by yourself or with others. You can do a silent retreat where you don’t talk with anyone for a period of time, which can be challenging but also rewarding, as you observe the world around you and listen for the still small voice of God in your heart. Or, you can attend a retreat with hundreds of other people where you can pray, eat, talk and spend time together in community, focused together on God’s many gifts.
Laura was born with a rare blood disorder called histiocytosis (https://histio.org/). She was diagnosed at just 5 months old. Her condition affects her balance so she uses a walker or a wheelchair to assist with getting around. However, Laura does not let this limit her. She regularly goes on retreats along with her mother, Nancy. Laura has endured much suffering in her life, but she offers her sufferings up to God for others. When asked about her faith and the message she would give to others who might also be suffering was, “Carry on…[the reward] will be worth it!”
Nancy, Laura’s mom, shared that her faith grew stronger in large part because of her daughter’s condition. “I noticed that the weeks we would go to Mass, things were better.” God gives graces to those who seek Him. He does not always take away our burdens, but He lightens them by sharing the load. Trust is the foundation of all good relationships, including our relationship with God.
Anna Nuzzo is a singer, songwriter, recording artist and speaker who has traveled the world elevating prayer through music. She has a special devotion to Mary, the Mother of God and Girl Friday 4 God par excellence, who helped to remove her fears and set her heart on fire for Jesus.