We can collect, recite, study and meditate upon the standard prayers given by the acaryas for wholesome models. Like a little child learning to speak, we can learn the Vaisnava prayers and sing them from the heart. The prayers given by the acaryas are bona fide outlets for expressing our feelings to the Lord. There is a prayer for every feeling. They are the words of the soul. Favorites can be collected into a binder for singing and recitation. Learning the words and their meaning gives plenty to meditate upon. Along with standard Vaisnava prayers, there are many nice prayers in sastra to outline and meditate upon also.
PERSONAL PRAYER SUGGESTIONS -
1. Addressing the Lord in a fitting way, remembering His glories, is a good way to start- O dearmost friend of all living entities, O most merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of everyone’s heart, destroyer of all inauspiciousness...or any suitable prayers from memory. This is easy and natural due to hearing from Prabhupada's books over many years. By thinking about and remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His dealings with His devotees, one immediately feels anxieties melting away.
"Anything that is presented before the Personality of Godhead should be so done after due presentation of respectful prayers. That is the standard procedure, and Sri Arjuna, although an intimate friend of the Lord, is observing this method for general information." --SB 1.7.26p
2. Prayer is talk therapy. We can tell what’s on our mind, submit s problem, a hope, a frustration...
Lonely? Talking to Krishna makes loneliness a blessing. He’s always available, unchanging, blissful….
When there are doubts or uncertainty, ask the Lord what to do. Form a question that needs answering.
Prayer helps sort things out. It is great for introspection and pinpointing any concerns by putting them into words. And the Lord is the best listener. We can get things all talked out without interruption or fear. Speaking to the Lord may continue until we can hear good intelligence responding.
So instead of acting depressed around others and disturbing them, we can confide in Krishna. He can truly understand and has the most time to. Revealing our mind to the Lord is one of the six loving exchanges.
“In addition to giving and receiving, in the execution of devotional service one has to submit to Krishna whatever distress or confidential problem he has. He should say, ‘Krishna, I am suffering in this way. I have fallen in this tossing ocean of material illusion. Kindly pick me up. I understand now that am simply put here, as if thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. I may not in any way identify with the Atlantic Ocean, but I am subject to the tossing of the ocean. Actually I am a spiritual spark, a fragmental part of You.” --Bg lecture 9.2, NY And if we must ask for something, the best thing to always ask for is unconditional loving devotional service for ourselves and all others.
" Simply our prayer should be, My dear Krishna, please remind me to always chant Your Holy Name, please do not put me into forgetfulness. You are sitting within me as Supersoul, so you can put me into forgetfulness or into remembering You. So please do not put me into forgetfulness. Please always remind me to chant, even You send me into the hell, it doesn't matter, just so long as I can always chant Hare Krishna..."
3. Prayer may be concluded by verbalizing an unconditional acceptance of Krishna's will, whatever He decides is best for us, with the assurance that we have been heard and that He is the greatest well wisher and friend.
"So do your duty nicely and see what Krishna desires. Let it be fulfilled. But you do your duty. It is your duty to pray to Krishna as affectionate children, and let Krishna decide."--Vrn, 5/29/77
"A devotee considers Krishna the only friend." ---SB 7.5.23-24 purport
4. We can study the prayers of the acaryas and in scripture, such as the loving addresses used, the questions asked and the mood and content of these prayers as well as the situations by which they were invoked.
BEDTIME PRAYER
Bedtime is a good time for personal prayer and to teach kids about it also.
Lord, help me to be as You are.
Transcendental , unaffected
By the ever changing modes of material nature.
Free me from my false affection for this material body
And everything related to it.
That affection has been misplaced.
I know now it is meant for You and You alone.
All I have belongs to You and is meant for your service,
Not for my own selfish ends,
Which is like watering all the leaves and branches of a tree
But neglecting to water the root.
You are the beauty behind every beautiful face.
You are the friend within the heart of everyone.
Please engage me in Your service...
If there is no prayer from the heart, my favorite to recall is from the deity worship handbook:
GOD IS SOMETIMES SILENT, BUT HE IS NEVER IDLE
“My dear friends," Krishna continued, "you might be aggrieved by My words and acts, but you must know that sometimes I do not reciprocate My devotees’ dealings with Me. My devotees are very much attached to Me, but sometimes I do not reciprocate their feelings properly in order to increase their love for Me more and more. If I can very easily be approached by them, they might think, 'Krishna is so easily available.' So sometimes I do not respond. If a person has no money but after some time accumulates some wealth and then loses it, he will think of the lost property twenty-four hours a day. Similarly, in order to increase the love of My devotees, sometimes I appear to be lost to them, and instead of forgetting Me, they feel their loving sentiments for Me increase.” KB 32