On his way to a meeting with an open notebook on his lap, Frank Laubach sat in the back of the bus conducting his usual prayer experiment: Sending out quick prayers for individuals sitting in front of him. Laubach watched for any effect that his prayers might be having and jotted down his observations in a notebook. 

Sometimes there was no noticeable effect, other times he observed downcast  individuals looking up and beginning to smile or he overheard a surprising change in the tone and content of a conversation. Laubach also noted any change in the general atmosphere on the bus and any affects the prayer was having on himself.

Laubach was conducting his experiment because he believed that prayer had the power to create change and he wondered if little flash prayers also had this power. 

When Laubach arrived at his meeting, he walked into a tense room. He began to pray and noticed that the atmosphere became relaxed and cooperative.

Do prayers really make a difference? Laubach was confident that they did. 

For our Prayer Project this week, I invite you to join me in trying Frank Laubach’s Flash Prayer experiment. You can keep a notebook in hand like Laubach did or just be a casual observer.

Flash prayers are neither lengthy nor carefully composed. For Laubach these prayers were often simply one word, “Jesus”. Frank  Laubach just wanted to bring the person to the loving care of Jesus. 

When I say flash prayers I use the first word or phrase that comes to  mind. Sometimes it specifically relates to a situation I see. I’m in the store and see a woman struggling to care for her child. My flash prayer might be, “ Jesus come to her aid” or “Fill her with peace”.  When I am in a conversation it might be, “ Help me, listen.”

Common, generic phrases that I use are: “Come to their aid”, ”Fill them with hope (peace, love, joy.)

The trick of doing a Flash Prayer is to keep it easy and quick. There is no grueling effort to say just the right thing.

Easy, quick. With no grueling effort to say just the right thing.

If you happen to be located right now in a place where you see lots of people or you have other subjects close at hand that you would like to pray about, then you can use that as your subject for prayer today.

If you are alone, just using your own thoughts is a perfect springboard for prayer. Turn whoever and whatever you’re thinking about into a Flash Prayer.

Prayer Time

Let’s get to our project and begin with a 30 second session. Remember –  your prayers can be very brief, even one word like blessing. Look around you or turn to your inward thoughts and begin flashing out  very brief prayers for whatever you see or comes to mind. I’ll put on some background sound and sound a bell to get us started.

What did you notice?

I selected inward self-talk and I noticed something that Laubach also observed.

He found Flash Prayer particularly helpful when his self-talk or ruminations were of a critical nature.  He said Flash Prayer had “a splendid retroactive effect upon ourselves, for it begets love instead of a spirit of criticism. It is a good corrective for that unlovely tendency we have to disapprove of others.” I have observed the same benefit.

Let’s try one more brief session of Flash Prayer. You can continue with the same topic  as your previous prayer time or you can pick an entirely different topic. Keep your prayers short with no grueling over finding just the right words. Okay, let’s begin .

 I have observed that even if there is not a clear effect on the outward world, there is always a clear effect on me as I pray.

Frank Laubach noticed this too, calling his Flash Prayer experiment “the finest tonic I know.” He claimed, “When you’re utterly tired from work or study and walk out in the street and Flash prayers at people, your nerves tingle with the inflow from heaven.”

I hope this project will come in handy a few more times today or even if you find yourself lying awake in the middle of your night. 

Thanks for joining me.