Picking up a prayer habit
By Meg Rivera
AS Lent comes to an end, we are reminded to keep this particular day solemn. Sure we’re all anticipating the big Easter meal at Lola’s house later, and maybe even some Easter eggs for the littles. But the picture is bigger than that. This is the time where we renew ourselves and resolve to be a better person after the period of repentance.
One way to start is to pick up a prayer habit. This week’s review looks at three apps that guide you through daily prayer. It doesn’t have to be a whole production; all you need is a few minutes every day to contemplate and think about the people in your life and their needs. It takes twenty seven days to form a habit, so install one of these today and find yourself with a new habit in a month’s time. Happy Easter!
App name: Prayer Mate
App developer: Andy Geers
Available on: iTunes, Google Play
Easy to use: This one doesn’t win any awards for aesthetics, but it does get the job done. Prayer Mate lets you itemize the people you want to pray for and helps you find appropriate readings for them.
Overall comment: I kept thinking of this app as a “prayer organizer”. You can select names to pray for from among your contacts and compile them into a list. If you need help getting your prayers started there’s also a subscription option to different feeds from various prayer websites.
Finally, you can set an alarm to remind you to find a quiet corner to meditate. This covers most of what you need, so I doubt you will need more than this. Four clicks out of five.
App name: Instapray
App developer: Instapray Inc
Available on: iTunes
Easy to use: In a nutshell, this is the Twitter/IG of prayers. Instapray creates a support group for people who need prayers. This is a safe environment for people to “share” their intentions and to ask for the support of other people. If you find a reading you like, you can “repray” it and @mention people you want to include.
Overall comment: I’ll be honest, I think this app is a little bit cheesy. I think prayer should be personal, and not be about social media. With that out of the way, I think this would be helpful for support groups and for those want a safe environment to practice their faith. It’s very much a social media experience and this might encourage younger people to pray more. Three clicks out of five.
App name: Christian Prayer App
App developer: Salem New Media
Available on: Google Play, iTunes
Easy to use: This one works on a similar principle as Instapray, but instead of being a separate app it integrates itself seamlessly into your social media. Think of this one as a plug-in as a whole application.
Overall comment: Prayer on a global scale, that’s what this one is about. The app lets you pull up a map and see what people and your contacts are praying about in your area. The feature I love most is the “praise report.” Think of it as feedback on Ebay; if your prayer was answered, then you put up a report to share how. A great way to integrate prayer into your daily routine. Three clicks out of five.
