Pray Purposefully
I’m a highschool English instructor, and if you recognize any lecturers, you recognize that making lesson plans is a near-constant job. We’re all the time considering forward to the subsequent unit and constructing content material round concepts and expertise that we will proceed instructing past one lesson. Some lecturers might start a yr with no street map for the place they’re headed, preferring to make it up as they go alongside, however few succeed with this technique. Efficient lecturers have objective and path.
The identical is true for prayer. In Luke 11:1, the disciples requested Jesus, “Lord, educate us to wish.” It’s fascinating that their request assumes prayer is one thing we have to discover ways to do. They knew they wanted a information, they usually knew the place to go for assist. Jesus answered their request by giving them the Lord’s Prayer as a mannequin for what to say after we pray and the kinds of issues we must always pray for. However his private habits in prayer additionally supplied a mannequin for the disciples—and for us.
Jesus usually retreated to wish alone (Matt. 14:13, 23; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18). He repeatedly eliminated himself from individuals and different distractions so he might have targeted time together with his heavenly Father. Jesus’s instance exhibits us that prayer doesn’t occur unintentionally. We have to be purposeful in prayer.
This quantity of TGC’s Disciplines of Devotion sequence invitations ladies to stir their affections for God by cultivating the biblical apply of prayer.
Let’s get actually sensible concerning the “how” of prayer. Completely different methods will work for various individuals, however I wish to present you sensible methods I’ve discovered to be useful in making my prayer time extra intentional. The purpose shouldn’t be so that you can replicate what has labored for me however to search out one thing that works for you.
As you learn, you may decide one factor to attempt, after which see how God makes use of it. Decide to it for a time period, after which consider whether or not it’s useful for you. If not, you may attempt one other concept. As you’re employed by means of this course of, bear in mind to be affected person with the method of sanctification. Prayer is known as a religious self-discipline for a purpose, so don’t be discouraged if it takes time to construct prayer right into a behavior. The top purpose of the Christian life is that we change into extra like Christ—all the way in which to glory. Solely he prayed completely, however we will belief that he’ll end what he began in us and assist us develop (Phil. 1:6).
1. Make a Plan
Once I ran a 10K race just a few years in the past, I discovered a operating plan on-line and saved it in my telephone. Each week, I knew what mileage I wanted to run if I used to be going to complete the race. However I additionally needed to take sensible steps to observe the plan akin to carving out time to go on all these runs and ensuring I stayed hydrated.
The identical is true in prayer. If we wish prayer to be an everyday apply in our lives, we have to begin by making a plan. For instance, I set a time of day for prayer, plan what requests I’ll pray for, and assign a psalm to wish every day. I additionally plan to keep away from distractions. For me, that includes planning the place my telephone will probably be after I pray and skim my Bible— it must be nowhere close to me! I pray within the morning, so I merely depart my telephone on the charger till I end studying my Bible and praying every day.
2. Use a Journal
The second a part of my plan includes utilizing a prayer journal. Some individuals use a prayer journal for writing out their prayers. I’ve good mates who’ve years of journals full of written prayers. Not solely does this methodology show you how to keep targeted in prayer, nevertheless it additionally provides you a concrete report of the methods God has answered your prayers. It’s a worthwhile apply to attempt. I exploit a prayer journal otherwise. Originally of every month, I jot down individuals and conditions I wish to pray for. I exploit a journal that has categorized sections for my group, household, mates, church, heavy issues (e.g., damaged relationships, bodily struggling, the issues that hold me up at evening), private wants, and the world, however you’ll be able to select your individual classes. Then I word which day of the week I’ll pray for every class. This guides my prayers every day as a result of I do know going into Monday, for instance, that I’ll all the time pray for missionaries in different international locations (world), our native faculty district (group), our elected leaders (group), and my youngsters’ lecturers (group).
Jesus’s instance exhibits us that prayer doesn’t occur unintentionally.
3. Set a Timer
I as soon as heard an older girl say that to change into extra disciplined in prayer, she started setting a timer when she prayed. She was nicely into her sixties when she began this, and she or he started with 5 minutes at a time. This inspired me that I might begin a brand new behavior too, so I adopted her recommendation and commenced with 5 minutes. Yearly, I added one other minute. On the time of scripting this booklet, I’m at eight minutes. At first, I used to be nervous I wouldn’t be capable of fill the time, however with a prayer journal guiding me and Scripture filling in phrases the place I’m missing, I discover I typically pray longer than the time allotted.
4. Pray With out Ceasing
We’re clever to make plans that assist us pray, however we additionally wish to watch out about holding so tightly to allotted instances and practices that we neglect the Bible’s exhortation to wish constantly (1 Thess. 5:17). In a second of disaster, like when a buddy shares a necessity otherwise you have a look at a dwindling checking account, you don’t want to attend till your designated prayer time to wish. You’ll be able to pray proper then. Praying within the second can be useful when you, like so many different Christians, hear a buddy’s want and confidently say, “I’ll be praying for you!” earlier than inevitably forgetting concerning the request as quickly because the dialog ends.
Praying spontaneously will come far more simply in case your life is marked by prayer to start with. As you pray purposefully with a plan, prayer more and more marks your life—in scheduled and unscheduled instances.
I like how Don Carson explains the necessity to pray purposefully in his e-book A Name to Religious Reformation:
That is the basic purpose why set instances for prayer are necessary: they be sure that imprecise needs for prayer are concretized in common apply. . . . [T]he truth stays that until we plan to wish we won’t pray. The rationale we pray so little is that we don’t plan to wish. Smart planning will be sure that we commit ourselves to prayer typically, even when for temporary intervals: it’s higher to wish typically with brevity than hardly ever however at nice size. However the worst possibility is solely to not pray—and that would be the controlling sample until we plan to wish. If we intend to alter our habits, we should begin right here.1
Jesus assumes we are going to pray, and the disciples assume we are going to need assistance. Maybe Carson’s encouragement is the show you how to want right this moment—begin by planning to wish.
Notes:
- D. A. Carson, A Name to Religious Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (Baker Educational, 2000), 20.
This text is customized from Prayer by Courtney Reissig.
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