4 Ideas (and a Challenge) to Revitalize Your Prayer Time
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
My main spiritual goal for 2021 was to get closer to God through prayer. Prayer is the one aspect of my relationship with God that I've always felt has been kind of weak and easily dismissed in favour of other more tangible things.
However, I have been realizing more and more the importance of prayer in my own life and in a genuine spiritual walk. My family and I watched War Room with my mum for mother's day, and it really convicted me of my lazy, unstructured approach to prayer, and sparked in me the desire to be more intentional in this area of my life.
Prayer is the communication between us and God, and just like any other relationship, communication is foundational. Without communication, you're not going to have much of a relationship at all. Prayer is a key way that we get to know God and have a close, intimate relationship with Him.
The cool thing about prayer is that we have direct access to God, and when we pray, we can transfer our problems, hopes, worries, and dreams over to God, leaving them in His capable hands. That is to say, when we pray, we give everything over to God and trust Him with it. We don't have to fight our battles, because God fights them for us! One of my favourite verses is Exodus 14:14, where Moses is speaking to the Israelites and he says, "the LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14, NIV). God knows what is best for us, so by giving it all over to Him and trusting Him to direct our paths, we will have peace and confidence knowing that the God of the universe is on our side.
That certainly doesn't mean that everything is going to work out for you every single time. But it does mean that when bad things happen, we can trust that God is still in control and He can redeem even the lousiest situations for His glory and our refinement (making us more like Jesus)!
While there is so much more that could (and has) been said on this topic of prayer, I have some practical things that have helped me to have good prayer times with God:
1. Set a Specific Time to Pray
If I don't schedule when I'm going to do something, I usually end up forgetting about it or making up excuses. However, if I'm expecting to do it, I'm much more likely to actually follow through. For me, I like to pray first thing in the morning when I get up, while I'm driving to work, and in the evening after my sisters and I finish watching an episode of Monk! Find what works for you and stick to it.
2. Use the CAST Model of Prayer
The CAST (aka ACTS method) method gives you a guideline of what to pray. C is for confession - confess any sins to God and an accountability partner. A is for adoration - worship and adore God. Recognize God's sovereignty, holiness, and goodness, and give Him all glory, honour, and praise. S is for supplications - ask God for things! God is a loving father, and He loves to bless us and provide for us, so don't hesitate to pray for the needs of yourself and others. Finally, T is for thanksgiving. Thank God for everything that He is and has done for you.
3. Have a Prayer Journal
I have a very long prayer list, so I like to break it up. I have a list of things I pray for every day and a list of weekly requests (so I pray for certain things on specific days of the week). I also sometimes like to write out my prayers so that I don't get distracted by things that are going on around me. Having a prayer journal is also awesome because you get to look back and see God's faithfulness as He answers your requests!
4. Pray with Fellow Believers
I like to pray with my sisters in the evening, which has been really good for recentering our focus on Jesus before we go to bed. Also, the Bible tells us to pray with others! James 5:16 reads, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
Praying with others is also very encouraging, and it gives you an opportunity for fellowship in the LORD.
For the month of June, I created a prayer challenge for myself to stretch me from my usual prayer routine and push me a little bit out of my comfort zone. I know that it's already June 3rd, but I would be absolutely delighted if you would join me on this prayer challenge! You can download the prayer challenge here.
I would also be overjoyed to hear from you guys! How do you find time to pray? What helps you in your prayer walk? What is a struggle you have when it comes to prayer?
♪ - listen to Christ Be Magnified (Song Sessions) by I AM THEY, Essential Worship.
