Praying Without Words

At our last meeting, as we discussed liturgical prayer and spontaneous prayer, Carol mentioned praying without words entirely. I found this idea intriguing and went looking for some resources. First, I found this quote by C.S. Lewis from his book Letters to Malcolm:

For many years after my conversion I never used any ready-made forms except the Lord's Prayer. In fact I tried to pray without words at all--not to verbalise the mental acts. Even in praying for others I believe I tended to avoid their names and substituted mental images of them. I still think the prayer without words is the best--if one can really achieve it. 

And John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, said,

When you pray, rather let thy heart be without words than they words without heart.

John Parsons, of Hebrew For Christians, offers this article: A Few Thoughts on Prayer, where he points out that prayer comes from the heart, and is therefore with or without words. As an offering of the heart, prayer may also be either conscious or unconscious. It is the heart's communication with God. He shares a Jewish midrash on prayer in this way:

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "I bade you pray in the assembly of your city, but if you cannot pray there, pray in your field, but if you cannot pray there, pray on your bed, but if you cannot pray there, 'be still and know that I am God.'"

 Romans 8:26 says this,

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

The practice of prayer encompasses so much more than words, and, clearly, the Spirit "hears" our heart, our intentions without words. A more holistic view of prayer might involve out thoughts, intentions, emotions, and images. In the words of John Parsons,

Prayer is essentially a response to God's call for us, a kind of teshuvah, or turning to God. ... It is not about finding the right words.