This excerpt is based on a talk my aunt, Sr. Betty Igo, gave years ago.

Jesus speaks of Himself as “I am the light.” Wherever the “I ams” are in the Bible, it’s a very powerful word. The Prayer of Light is a way of reaching the unconscious will on all levels. The Prayer of Light is a prayer of physical healing, of reconciliation, a cleansing of the heart, a prayer of protection, and intercessory prayer.

If you learn how to do that and somebody asks you to pray, you may get a sense that you should just be there and image, think, or feel the Lord as light entering into them and taking that anxiety. See the anxiety coming out their feet. Maybe you feel as though you should go up and lay hands on them and as you lay on hands you see the Lord’s light coming in. It’s a very powerful prayer. Too easily when we think of praying for others, we think of manufacturing a nice big prayer that sounds beautiful. If you have the gift of tongues, it can be very healing to pray tongues underneath your breath. You don’t have to say it out loud. Let the Spirit of God crying out from within you pray because He knows what the person needs far better than we do. Too much analysis leads to paralysis, especially if you’re not qualified.

If you are at home and you’re feeling badly, what can you do? There are different ways to go. If you have time and you’re comfortable praying and letting the Spirit of God pray for you, ask Him to cleanse your heart of all the crud inside. Let those feelings cry out to the Lord. It is not necessary that your head get in on it. But if your head insists on knowing what’s going on, ask the Lord for the gift of translation of tongues.   The translation of tongues will be given a lot of times and you’ll hear what it is. Maybe you’ll get the word “rage.” You say, “What am I raging about, Lord?” Although there is a whole discernment process, you can ask Him if you’re not afraid of doing the work. Tell Him to teach you how to discern. One of the ways to learn discernment is to start with the Sacred Scripture in your daily prayer time. Read a small passage and then sit back in silence and ask the Lord to explain that passage. Then write down what you hear. Write down the interpretation of what you understand about that passage. Then give it back to the Lord. Consecrate yourself to the Spirit of Truth and ask the Lord if there is anything in your interpretation that does not give witness to His truth, that through His Holy Spirit He give you new insights and new wisdom and correction. Ask and it shall be given to you. If you ask for wisdom, it will be given to you. That’s what the Word of God says. “You have not because you ask not.” So if we need wisdom to understand then we need to ask.

Another way of praying is through the Stations of the Cross. It’s powerful for letting go of your feelings. Walk along those stations. They’re pictures of Jesus in His passion. Walk along those stations and ask yourself, “When have I felt as though I were standing before Pilot? When has the Jesus in me been condemned? Talk to Jesus about those feelings. Go to the next one. When have I felt as though I were carrying a cross? Talk to Jesus about the crosses you’re carrying. Go to the next one. It can be very helpful.

Betty said many people have been helped from praying this way. When they get the yucky emotions inside, they go into the church and walk around the Stations of the Cross. They feel understood by Christ. At the end, there is a part of them that goes into the tomb and a part of them that rises again. They really feel the Lord’s healing power coming through that to them.

Betty says that nighttime is a beautiful time for prayer. The Lord gives to the beloved in their sleep. That’s what it says in Psalm 127:2. But it’s only if His beloved ask Him. So when you go off to sleep, do you commit your heart and your mind to the Lord? Some of you might be saying, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” Ask the Lord to break any negative bonding that is upon you from any person psychologically or spiritually. Lay yourself down to sleep in the light of the love of the Lord. Allow Him to minister to you.