It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray. . . “
Luke 11:1 NASB
As a follower of Christ, I have enjoyed fellowship with Him for over 50 years now. However, being a creature of habit, time with God can become just that – HABIT – if I’m not careful. To develop a growing, vibrant relationship requires time, effort, desire, and a whole lot of love. The same applies to our prayer life.
Let’s look at the discipline of praying. Simply stated, it’s being with God, talking to and communing with Him, which includes, but isn’t limited to, praise and adoration, confession, thanksgiving, requests, appeals, and complaints.
How do you spend time in prayer with God? Do you do the same thing every day? Do you feel that your prayers are just falling to the floor and going nowhere? Has it become just a ritual?
If so, check out these recommendations to help bring new life to your prayer time.
- Stand with hands lifted and pray aloud to the Father.
- Go for a walk in the woods or the neighborhood, praying as you go – aka prayer walking.
- Literally make space in your closet to get alone with God. The times I’ve done this have proven to be very intimate times with Him. In fact, I think I need to try that again soon.
- Conversation is a two-way street. Intentionally implement times of silence to listen to God.
- If physically possible, lay prostrate on the floor before the Lord. Consider kneeling or simply covering your head with a cloth to shut out distractions.
- Meet with a friend at the playground and spend time together conversing with God while the kids play. After all, whoever said you had to bow your head and close your eyes to pray?
What a blessing to know the Father longs to be with us. Seek Him for His input as you converse with Him. Think outside the box; don’t be afraid to try something new when it comes to being in His presence and sharing life with Him. [Digging deeper – 1 Kings 8:54; Matthew 6:6, 26:39; Mark 1:35, 6:46; Luke 18:13]
Starting anew,
Beverly <><
Our God is a “Yes” God. He answers EVERY prayer, but not always in the way we think He should or expect Him to. Praying doesn’t always change our circumstances, but it changes us. Sometimes we wait tirelessly for our situation to change:
When Jesus gave His disciples a task, He always sent them in pairs or teams. He did this because two witnesses are more reliable than one. Of course, He may have also been thinking about the power found in a shared ministry and the added impact when two or more people work together towards a common goal. There is so much power and potential found in a group of Christians working alongside each other, contributing their unique gifts, and acting like the body of Christ. This is why it is so important for us to be plugged into a biblically grounded local church body. As we commit to live our lives on mission for Christ, we will need the encouragement and support of other fellow believers to help refuel and recharge our spiritual batteries.