It’s time to get serious about prayer. It’s time to recognise the privilege of prayer, to understand the act of prayer as ministry- to ourselves, to God and to others.
Learning the art of prayer takes a lifetime, and the way I pray has looked and sounded very different over the years. The prayers of my youth were direct, straight to the point and specific, but often short sighted and rooted in whatever I was facing at the time.
In my later teen years and early twenties my prayers were heavily influenced by church leaders both locally and on Christian television. I thought every prayer had to have a beginning, middle and a clear ending. I naively believed that praying eloquently in public was a mark of spiritual maturity, and accurately quoting scripture throughout prayer was the icing on the cake. Prayer had to be long, powerful and dynamic to listen to. Filled with statements of faith and declarations of what God would do in any given situation.
In recent years I have felt drawn to liturgical, theologically rich, ancient prayers that are based primarily in scripture itself. At first I resisted this urge and wrestled with the belief that if every prayer I prayed wasn’t original and spontaneous then it wasn’t truly acceptable prayer before God. However, I kept seeing prayers woven throughout scripture, which inspired me to write out prayers based on biblical passages. These passages were so rich in God’s revealed will and heart for His people that it seemed like a natural progression to form them into prayers.
I have benefited from reading books about prayer, reading articles and listening to teaching series about prayer. Even so, the habit of praying scripture is the one practice that has radically transformed my prayer life. Praying scripture has broadened my vocabulary in prayer, the depth and breadth of my prayers and the reassurance of knowing that my prayers are rooted in the expressed will of God.
Praying scripture cleanses my heart and mind, turns me back to God where I may have strayed and brings any darkness to light as Jesus cleanses me with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26 CSB).
As I look back at my journey in prayer, I am so grateful that God looks at the heart. My prayers are not always perfectly formed or full of faith. But more often than not they come from an innate desire to connect with, run to and seek to know God and His will for my life. I am thankful for His patience with my prayer life (or lack of at times).
The Father is actively looking to see who is taking the time to seek Him. Prioritising a life of prayer is one way we can practically live this out.
For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him… ( 2 Chronicles 16:9 CSB)
The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. ( Psalm 14:2 CSB).
These are some of my favourite scriptures. They cause me to stop and think every time I read them. They make me want to be counted amongst those who are wholeheartedly devoted to Him, who are wise and seek Him first.
There are so many reasons to prioritise prayer. As we look at the confusion and chaos present within society the urgency and the need for serious prayer is undeniable…
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ( Matthew 26:40-41 CSB)
“Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21: 34-36 CSB)
Prayer is a way to notice and love those around us. We can listen closely to what others are sharing with us. We can ask deeper questions; What is their life like at the moment? What are they striving for? What challenges are they facing? How is God working in their life? Then beyond those around us we can notice what is happening in the communities and spaces we inhabit. We can look at what is happening in our local church and the needs arising. We can pay attention to the regional news, the education system, the government, ministry outreaches, the global church, the persecuted church. What each of us discerns and notices may differ, but that’s okay. The beauty of a gathered people all praying about the same issue is that each angle of prayer will be slightly different. One person's prayer rarely covers all the bases. This just shows how uniquely wired we are in our perspectives and insights. The key is to truly notice what is happening around us, refer back to the scriptures and commit to pray.
Prayer is an act of humility. I believe a mark of a truly humble person is one who prays routinely behind closed doors, where no one is looking and nobody knows (or maybe even cares) that they are praying. A humble person turns to prayer as their first inclination in times of need rather than their last. Why is this a mark of humility? It takes humility to not take matters immediately into our own hands and pray first.It takes humility to admit we don’t have the first clue what to do. It takes humility to pray when there is no sign of change.It takes humility to not voice our own opinion and pray instead. It takes humility to set aside our will and preferences in favour of praying God’s will as revealed in scripture. Every time we labour in prayer over situations and for others without a pat on the back, accolades or encouragement we grow a little in character. Praying with others or in public gatherings is needful and a blessing when we get the opportunity, but this should not be the majority of our prayer life.
But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:6 CSB).
Prayer is a privilege. To be called children of the living God, to boldly approach the throne of grace and cry out to our Father in heaven…surely this is a dream. But no, this is the reality for the people of God. This is our reality and our privilege to live out and treasure. Prayer is our opportunity to please God as He rewards those who come to Him believing that He is indeed God, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need (Hebrews 4:16 CSB).
This is what the process of prayer looks like. We approach the throne of grace, we can be bold because we are loved, redeemed and chosen. Then we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
This is serious grace, this is serious mercy. Let’s get serious about prayer.
The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the God of my life (Psalm 42:8 CSB).