Most of us learned to pray with our eyes closed, hands clasped together, and our heads bowed. It is a posture of reverence. It is a beautiful way to humble ourselves before the awe and wonder of God. 

But sometimes it is worth praying with our eyes open. 

Prayer is a practice of attention. Praying regularly brings us a regular reminder that God is a part of everything. Our prayers of gratitude remind us that God is the source of every blessing. Our prayers of longing teach our hearts to seek God’s presence amid suffering. Our prayers of hope remind us that the future is in God’s hands. 

So don’t shut out the world when you pray. Try praying with your eyes open. Try praying with your ears attuned to what you can hear around you. Try praying with the hardest things that are happening in the world on the surface of your attention. 

The best prayers do not detach us from the world, but bring us into deeper connection with it. 

So try this: pray with your eyes open. Fix your gaze on the world. And pray that God shows us how to be part its healing. Pray that God leads us in the way of justice. 

Fix your gaze on the others around you and wonder how God is already answering your prayer.

Fix your gaze on a tree, or a table, and learn to see our extraordinary God in ordinary things.

Open your eyes and pray. Listen and see.