The words "pray", "prayer", or "praying" have been used collectively in scripture hundreds of times in the bible. Different websites are showing different #'s but it seems to be a least 300 times. Prayer is very important and it is (in my opinion) a direct reflection of the closeness of our relationship with Christ. Here are just a few verses mentioning prayer.
I have to admit that I could have a stronger prayer life. It's an area that I care deeply about improving because I realize its importance. I want to share with you some challenges I deal with when it comes to praying as well as advice (in italics) I am giving myself to help overcome these challenges.
1. Putting prayer first.
Do you ever forget to pray? I do. Sometimes my mind is consumed with less important thoughts and before I know it, I have fallen asleep. Or times when the best thing to do would be to seek him and pray about it, I instead just try figuring it out for myself.
Advice: Pray in the morning or at times when you are more awake and alert (outside, in the car with Edward, etc). Remind yourself that God is more powerful that anything you could do on your own. You need Him. You owe it to him to give Him your time.
2. Staying focused.
I have MAJOR ADD when I pray. There is not a day goes by that I don't struggle with this.
Advice: Pray to God and ask him to help keep you focused as much as possible while you pray. Picture you talking to him face to face, which will happen one day yay!!
3. Remembering to pray for people that I know need prayer or who I have told I will pray for.
I have definitely forgotten to pray for people in the past, but this is something that I have improved on a lot.
Advice: When praying for people, think about each group of people you know (family, friends, etc) and remind yourself of the ones who need prayer.
4. Being open, honest, detailed and direct with God while I am praying.
It's a very vulnerable feeling when you pour your heart out to someone. For me, for some reason, I sometimes guard myself when I pray to God. Sometimes I don't completely just let it all out like I should.
It's a very vulnerable feeling when you pour your heart out to someone. For me, for some reason, I sometimes guard myself when I pray to God. Sometimes I don't completely just let it all out like I should.
Advice: God needs to be the closest relationship you have in your life. He loves you and wants to hear what you are dealing with. He knows EVERYTHING about you anyways, so why not just be open.
5. Not being so redundant.
"Thank you God for our house. My clothes. My opportunities. Thank you God for my family. Forgive me for my sins. I love you. Amen."
This is the prayer I used to pray for many years. They were a little bit lengthier, but this is the gist of it. Very redundant and repetitive. No conversation. Just an almost memorized prayer.
Advice: What if you talked to your mother or father that way each day? Said the same thing to them every day? How would they feel? Would you be close with them? No! Talk to God like you are talking to a human being you trust 110%.
6. Praying for myself.
I definitely don't pray for myself as much as I could. If something is bothering me, I struggle with just putting that in God's hands. My mind tries to deal with that problem instead, which in turn gives me anxiety. Also, If I am trying to reach a goal, I forget to pray for myself to ask God to help me reach it.
Advice: You need to pray for yourself every chance you get. It's not selfish. Pray for patience. Pray for safety. Pray for your physical and mental health. Pray for any day to day struggles.
7. Trusting that He is Listening.
This is hard for me to admit. Because I don't hear another human voice replying to my prayers, every so often I (my brain NOT heart) will think "Are you there God?"
Advice: This verse says it all.
My good friend once told me that her prayer life is what strengthened her relationship with God the most. I get that totally now.
In conclusion, if you are a person of faith or are curious about God, you can Help Yourself strengthen that relationship through prayer. Praying for a sick family member. Praying for your children. Praying for yourself. Praying for you to have some clarity about your faith. Whatever the reason, all of our genuine and heart-felt prayers will be heard by our Savior.
Good points...I think we all encounter the points you listed. First Peter 5:7 is one of my favorite verses.
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