Happy Friday, friends.
Here we are at the end of another workweek and it’s time for five on Friday.
J.I. Packer said, “I believe that prayer is the measure of a man, spiritually, in a way that nothing else is so that how we pray is as important a question as we can ever face.”
As Christians, most of know our lives are powerless without prayer, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t struggle with some aspect of praying. Yet many of us long for powerful prayer lives. While I’m convinced there is no magic formula and I believe we each have to find what works best for us, there are some helpful things we can do to dramatically improve our prayer lives.
Here are five suggestions:
- Be Intentional. Author and theologian D.A. Carson says, “We do not drift into spiritual life; we do not drift into disciplined prayer. We will not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray.” In Scripture we see Jesus getting up while it was still dark to go pray (Mark 1:35), He withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16), and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Our calendar reflects what we value the most. To have a robust prayer life, we will need to intentionally set time aside to pray.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers. The Holy Spirit is faithful to help us in prayer and prays on our behalf according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27). As you begin your prayer time ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and direct your prayers.
- Pray the Scriptures. When we pray the Scriptures, we can know with certainty that we are praying according to God’s will. Praying the Scriptures also keeps us focused and helps with mental drift. The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:13) and so praying the Scriptures will infuse vitality into our prayer life and keep our prayers from becoming dry and repetitious.
- Keep a Prayer Journal. Keeping a journal or a simple list of prayer requests helps us with mental drift and provides direction for our prayers. Looking over my prayer journals from years past has proved to be a great faith builder and serves as a reminder of how God has answered prayer. (Prayer journals are also great heirlooms to pass on to family members).
- Enlist a Prayer Partner. Having a prayer partner is valuable for accountability and the shared experience. If possible, find a prayer partner who is seasoned in prayer and someone who can teach you how to develop your prayer life. Or if you are seasoned in prayer, consider mentoring a new believer or someone who wants to grow in their prayer life.
We’ll never regret a moment we spend in prayer. For reasons I don’t fully understand, God uses people who pray to fulfill His purposes on earth. I want to see things come to pass that can’t be explained apart from prayer. I believe you do too. Let’s devote ourselves to prayer.
