Editor’s Note: You can read the previous articles in this series below:
The Importance of Being Disciplined in Prayer
Prayer is Vital to Your Relationship with God
Prayer is Vital to Your Spiritual Health
Prayer is Vital to Your Spiritual Effectiveness
Introduction
Over the course of four recent articles, we looked at the many benefits of being disciplined in prayer. We began with an examination of what it means to be disciplined in prayer. We want to pursue a right heart that is seeking to honor God by prioritizing what it knows to be important. A duty-bound desire to just check the box on a spiritual activity is legalism, not discipline.
We then looked at the importance of a disciplined prayer life in our relationship with God. Next, we looked at the benefits of a disciplined prayer life on our own spiritual health. In our most recent article, we saw that prayer is necessary to have spiritual effectiveness for the Lord. In this last article, we’re going to discuss several practical ways to enable a disciplined prayer life.
Practical Advice
We can talk as much as we want about prayer, but, at the end of the day, we won’t see any spiritual benefits unless we actually start praying. What follows are some practical tips towards pursuing a disciplined prayer life.
Pursue Both Formal and Informal Prayer
Time alone in focused, formal prayer is essential to grow your relationship with the Lord. However, that doesn’t mean the only time we can pray is when we are alone and undistracted. The practical reality is that most of our day is spent around others or focused on necessary tasks. We need to spend time with our families, we need to work, we need to drive our kids to school, etc.
Praying informally throughout the day while you work is a great way to stay in constant communion with the Lord. A quick prayer in between meetings, on your daily commute, or while you’re making dinner is no less valid than praying alone with your eyes closed on your knees. Talk to the Lord all throughout the day; wherever you are; in the midst of whatever you’re doing.
Don’t Neglect Corporate Prayer
Praying by ourselves or with our families will likely constitute the majority of our prayer life. However, praying with other saints in your church is vitally important. Don’t neglect corporate prayer. If your church has a recurring prayer meeting, consider attending. If someone at church needs prayer for something, stop right there and pray with them. Praying with other believers is a critical part of being a member of the body of Christ.
Consider Tracking Prayer Requests Through Different Mediums
For me personally, writing down prayer requests is extremely beneficial. For starters, it helps me to track past prayer requests and see how God has answered them over time. If I didn’t track that, I would be prone to forget answered prayers.
Additionally, it helps me to remember to pray for things that may not be top of mind. For example, I have a very easy time remembering to pray for my wife and my kids. However, remembering to pray for extended family members or government leaders may slip my mind if I’m not writing these things down.
Tracking prayer requests can take many forms: keeping a written prayer journal in a notebook, praying through the members of a church directory, maintaining a Google Document, or using an app on your phone (like PrayerMate). Find what works best for you.
Always Take Advantage of Someone Asking to Pray for You
If someone at church offers to pray for you, take them up on that offer! They’re offering to petition the God of the universe on your behalf. Don’t neglect such a huge blessing. Always put forward a prayer request whether it’s big or small. If you can’t think of something urgent, ask for them to pray that you would have a deeper relationship with the Lord. Don’t leave any spiritual blessings on the table!
Conclusion
If you’re a follower of Christ, I hope that you have a vibrant and healthy prayer life. I hope you make a prayer a priority. Not out of duty, but out of love for God and a desire to spend time with him. I hope you enjoy all of the benefits of prayer—a deeper walk with the Lord, spiritual health, and spiritual effectiveness. I hope you never get over the wonder of being able to speak with the Creator of the universe.
As we close this series, I’d like to leave you with this great quote from Kevin DeYoung about the privilege of coming before the throne of God whenever we want: “Prayer (this side of heaven) will always be hard and will always take discipline, but when I see it as a means to communion with God, it feels more like a ‘get to’ than a ‘have to.'”
