The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and that means we can pray any time, anywhere.  The best way for you to pray at any given moment is the way where you feel closest to God, and that may change from day to day. You might find it most effective to pray while exercising, or cleaning the house, or singing, or drawing, or journaling, or gardening…Kneeling, standing, sitting in a comfortable chair…Out loud, or quietly in your heart…There is not just one right way. 

Any two-way communication with the Divine is prayer; this means we should be listening as well as talking in prayer. As you work to be supportive to a survivor, please pray for yourself first and then for the survivor. You can speak your own words or use other prayers. When you say other people’s prayers, though—such as the psalms, or the Lord’s Prayer—think carefully about the words and speak them from your soul, for yourself and for the person you’re praying for.

Sometimes it’s helpful to insert the survivor’s name into the Lord’s Prayer, like this: “Mary’s heavenly Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in Mary as it is in heaven. Give Mary this day her daily bread…” You get the idea.

This makes it personal, and it reinforces the awareness that God is the one who blesses. God does the delivering, God creates the transformation, and God is still able to do all that is best.