Lord, Teach Me to Pray

By Frank A.J. Braun

Did you know there are different ways to pray? Frank Braun gives historical context to the practice of prayer, and he shows the different ways present-day Christians can pray effectively.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank A.J. Braun
• Release date: Jul 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463222782

Frank A.J. Braun

Frank A.J. Braun was born and reared on a small farm in Osage Bend, Missouri, the second of eight children. After three years of undergraduate study and two years of law at St. Louis University, he entered the United States Air Force where he served as a Special Agent in the Office of Special Investigation. While stationed in Tokyo, Japan he completed a B.A. degree at Sophia University in 1956.Upon completion of his tour of duty, he worked one year for the FBI and then put his investigative training to good use, spending the next thirty-six years in claims work with State Farm Insurance. During this time he graduated with an M.A. in Religious Studies from Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington. Since retiring in 1994, Frank has spent his time in research and writing.Frank and his wife Evelyn made their home in Billings, Montana. They had four children and five grandchildren. Evelyn passed away in 1999.In addition to being active in his Catholic Parish and community organizations, Frank has been a member of Christian Family Movement, Cursillo Movement, Catholic Charismatic Movement, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, Business Men’s Fellowship and the Association of Christian Therapists. Frank has been an active member and an officer in most of the organizations with which he has been involved. He has participated in numerous conventions and conferences; he also does public speaking and prayer ministry. For the past 30 years Frank, and his wife until her death, also coordinated weekend Word and Communion Services for their parish at a large nursing home complex.

Book preview

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

To talk with God

By

Frank A. J Braun

Dedicated to Leonard William Bill Makens

Edited by Michael Curtis

Published by Ruah Publishing

1916 4th Ave N, Billings, Mt, 59101

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2021, revised 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews, personal use, teaching presentations and certain other commercial uses permitted by copyright law, without permission in writing from the author or Ruah Publishing, 1916 4th Ave N, Billings, Montana 59101.

Unless otherwise designated, the Scripture quotations in this publication are from various revisions of The New American Bible, © 1970, 1986, 1991, 2010 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Also, the author has italicized scripture quotes, underlined some words, and inserted bracketed information within some scripture quotes for emphasis and clarification.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 – In the Beginning

Chapter 2 – Nature

Chapter 3 – Enlightenment

Chapter 4 – The Rupture and Reconciliation of God and His People

Chapter 5 – The Latter Age

Chapter 6 – To Talk with God

Chapter 7 – Ways to Pray

Chapter 8 – Personal Evolution

Chapter 9 – Trauma – Life Changes

Chapter 10 – Personal Guidance by the Holy Spirit

Chapter 11 – Ministering the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 12 – Call to Ministry

Models

Figure 1 – Model of the Incarnate Soul

Figure 2 – The Evolution of Humanity in the Image and Likeness of God

Introduction

It is with humility and a degree of timidity that I take up the call to write about prayer based on my personal perspective, study, meditation, and experiences. Thousands of books, pamphlets and essays have been written on prayer by professional intellectuals, many of saintly stature. So, I take no credit in the initial decision to write this work.

My decision to put forth this effort came after telling a friend, Bill Makens, at a men’s prayer breakfast that I was beginning to anticipate a void in my life as I approached the completion of revisions to my eBook, The Spirit and Me, and related works. A few days later, Bill boldly told me the Holy Spirit had prompted him to tell me to write a book on prayer with the title, Lord, Teach Me to Pray.

After mulling over the suggestion for several months, I opened a document on my computer and typed out Bill’s suggested title. Without reflection, I was prompted to add the sub-title, To Talk with God. The boldness of the second part of the title challenged me to engage my investigative mind; not to write for the choir, people who already have a good payer life, but for people like me who for years sought knowledge and struggled about how to pray.

The decision I faced when starting to write was whether to base this work on the research of other authors or on my own training, study, investigation and lived experiences. The latter idea appealed to me as a professional investigator. It took me back in time, reminding me of my own search for knowledge about how to pray, periods of darkness and light, and how it took me almost half a lifetime (now age 94) to form a personal relationship with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

I recalled how I was trained in my early life to approach God with formal prayers, rituals and through obedience to The Ten Commandments and Church Laws. At the time this seemed to fulfill a need for obedience, adoration and thanksgiving, but as I matured the question arose: how could I request God to provide me, directly and personally, with His will and His guidance on how to pray for myself, my family, and others?

In early life I often heard it taught, insight in response to prayer comes through Scripture, pastoral counsel, parents, teachers, peers, signs of the time etc.; but it was years before I learned that I could consult directly with the persons of our Triune God through the Holy Spirit.

Even the Lord’s Prayer, imparted to us by Jesus and learned early in life by most Christians, seemed to be directed more to the Father than a communication with Him. This understanding was supported by Greek philosophy I studied in college: that a natural being can never communicate with a supernatural being. I often suffered sadness and even anger when hearing that prayers by ordinary people were normally answered through indirect sources. I would ask, are the saints we read about exceptions? Did Jesus not say: My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they know me? (Jn 10 :27)

Chapter 1 – In the Beginning

God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them [spiritual beings]. Genesis 1:27

Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living being [soul and body]. Genesis 2:7

The Lord God then built the rib he had taken from the man into a woman. Genesis 2:22

With my desire to know how to communicate personally and directly with God through prayer, meditation, contemplation, study, and seeking God’s will as many