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Talking with God in Prayer

Prayer As a Daily Habit

Prayer is one of those things you learn by doing. I can give you Bible promises on prayer and share with you some of my own experiences with prayer, but I can’t do your praying for you. Until you begin to pray yourself, you will never understand prayer.

Martin Luther said, “Just as the business of the tailor is to make clothing, and that of the shoemaker to mend shoes, so the business of the Christian is to pray.”

The secret of Luther’s revolutionary life was his commitment to spend time alone with God every day. I encourage you to take time every day to talk with God. Don’t just give Him 30 seconds while you’re rushing around in the morning: “O Lord, bless this day, especially since it is Monday.” Set aside a specific time each day for personal prayer.

As you pray, strive for order and faithfulness. It helps to establish a set time to pray, but avoid legalism. Don’t feel guilty if you miss your intended time or even an entire day. Keep trying. On certain occasions you may need to adapt your schedule to talk to the Father. Nothing is wrong with that. Aim for consistency. Don’t look at prayer as a duty to be “checked off” your list. Prayer is simply an honest conversation with our heavenly Father who loves us.

 

I find the early hours of the day are the best to pray. Evangelist D. L. Moody said, “We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man. If you have so much business to attend to that you have no time to pray, depend upon it that you have more business on hand than God ever intended.” Make room in your schedule to begin each day alone with God in prayer.

On the other hand, prayer is something that should take place during the entire day. The Bible says, “Pray continually” (1 thessalonians 5:17). At any moment, whatever the occasion, we are free to speak with our Father. We enjoy communion with the living God, who lives within us, through prayer.

It’s always surprising to see how much time Jesus dedicated to prayer. He never considered himself too busy to pray. As the obligations increased and He faced big decisions, He went away alone to pray (luke 5:15–16). Will you form a similar habit?

Expert from “Our Daily Bread Ministries” Discovery Series

 

TOP THREE THINGS TO KNOW FOR THIS WEEK:
1) Worship time change seems to be working! We worship at 11am with Coffee and Conversation at 10am. If the other time helps your weekend, feel free to come to Faith at 9am.
2) We had a delightful time at the church picnic last week. Thank you to everyone who came and shared food. 
3) Please pray for Thelma Holtman as she is hospitalized this week after a fall. 
Pr Doug