Prayer is so simple it’s just talking to God. But before we even pray, I would like to share some thoughts that I hope will be helpful to your prayer life as it has been for mine.
For many of us there are so many distractions that make prayer difficult. So many of our daily activities vie for our attention that they can often crowd out our need and desire for prayer. As a result, we need to first do what E. M. Bounds suggested: “We ought to pray for the desire to pray; for such a desire is God-given and heaven-born.”1 Having a desire to pray is not always there for us so we need to ask God to put a desire in our heart and a joy in our soul for this most wonderful daily activity.
A second important element in developing a vibrant prayer life is that we need to make prayer a priority in our lives. For many of us we make prayer an afterthought that we do if we can find the time for it in our busy schedules. This thinking must stop. It is a simple fact that what we prioritize we do. If Jesus needed to pray and commune with God every day how much more do we!
Third, while it is important to talk to God all day long I believe we need to find time to carve out a solid block of time each day where we can truly intercede for the needs of others. Find your best time during the day and commit to meet God and I guarantee you will be deeply blessed. For myself it’s early in the morning before the hustle and bustle of the day takes over.
Fourth, we need to find a way to stop our thoughts from wandering during our prayer time. For me I keep a daily prayer list that helps me stay disciplined to ensure I pray for the important needs of the people in my circle of influence.
Fifth, we need to realize that prayer is not just intercession but encompasses so much more. Worship, adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and confession of sin are all important elements of prayer. I really like what Andrew Murray says regarding this point: “Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!”2 As we worship God first, our hearts and minds will be prepared to come to God with our intercessions.
And sixth, we need to realize just how trustworthy God is. As Christians we need to understand how incredibly loved we are by Jesus and how much He enjoys our daily conversations with Him. We also need to mediate daily on Scripture and hide God’s word in our hearts. This practice will continually show us how faithful our God is and how we can trust Him in all things. Trusting God and believing He will answer us when we pray is something that we can take to the bank. Hannah Whitall Smith shares an important insight here that should help all of us who may have difficulty trusting God: “You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of it?”3
I hope that these observations prove helpful in getting you more disciplined and excited about prayer. If you have any other thoughts on the preparation for prayer I would love to hear from you.
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY EDWARD MCKENDREE BOUNDS (of 163) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
2 TOP 25 QUOTES BY ANDREW MURRAY | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
3 TOP 25 QUOTES BY HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (of 77) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)