Music and prayer.

I had an interesting conversation yesterday about the use of music in prayer. Not in public, liturgical prayer, but in personal devotional prayer. Often when saying the Office, I sing a hymn. Out loud, on my own. I also find music can move me to pray quite spontaneously. Perhaps there is something of sharing in the creativity of God in this. I am not a creative type really. Can't cook, paint or do things with wood and metal. But I can sing a bit and can use words. In singing someone elses devotional words to someone elses tune, I find I co-operate with the creativity that has been expressed. That seems to help me to pray in a way that sitting passively waiting on God doesn't. Actively co-operating with God leads me to reflection/meditation and in a way that is quite different to analytical musing. The action seems to still the mind and open it to the divine majesty and reality. A case of praying as you can rather than worrying about praying in a way that is awkward. It was a spiritually enriching conversation.