Prayer, simply defined, is more than the meaning of the old English word “pray” (ask). It is communication with God. Prayer is recognition of God’s presence with us at all times, and a refusal to ignore that presence. Pray isn’t a short time (five minutes, 15 minutes or even an hour) at the beginning of the day. It is the ongoing conversation with the God who walks with us. With Paul, we pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Jesus taught us to pray about everything. To express to our Holy Father a desire for His will, praise, confession, our need for forgiveness and our daily needs (Matthew 6:9-15). The Psalms tell us to praise him constantly (Psalm 150). Paul tells us to be constantly thanking him (Colossians 3:17). In short, prayer is everything we think, feel, want, need–all expressed to a loving and patient Father.
Like individual worship, strong and consistent prayer is reliant on our awareness of God’s presence–we talk to him when we know he is here. It is important to talk to him about whatever is on our minds–it’s not like we are going to surprise him! Yet, many of us go hours without talking to him, simply because we don’t physically see him and need to be reminded of his presence.
If this is the case with you, I recommend the same things I recommended for individual worship–a phone or watch chime, a visual representation of his presence (such as a cross), or simply something that draws my mind to his presence and therefore calls me to talk to him (such as a wristband).
To assess your prayer, ask yourself two questions, rating yourself on a scale of 1-10 (low to high) for each, and then combine the answers. First, how frequently do I talk with the Lord (once a day, hourly, constantly)? Second, when I talk to the Lord, how real am I with him? Do I tell him whatever is on my mind, seeking guidance and help? Am I like an open child to a loving Father, or someone who only wants to present an agenda to a person we want help from? (Not “real” and “agenda oriented” would be the low end of the 1-10 scale). Now average the two for a total reading for prayer in your life.
If you don’t know where to start–or what to say–start with “Lord, I don’t know what to say or how to start this, but here’s what’s happening in my life, this is what’s on my mind.” The relationship will grow from there!
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