Have you ever found yourself to be too busy to pray? Have you found it hard to connect with God on an intimate level? Or maybe you simply lack the desire to pray. Whatever the case may be I guarantee that you are not alone.
The enemy works hard to keep us from having a solid prayer life. He does this because he knows prayer is the source of our strength and when we fail to pray we forfeit the power of God. We can’t let him win! Therefore, I’d like to share with you 5 things that will help boost your prayer life.
- Pray Early
There are so many distractions that arise once the sun comes up. Children need to be tended to, text messages and phone calls began to come in, breakfast needs to be made, and the news needs to be watched. The list goes on and on. With so many distractions occurring during the day it’s difficult to find time to connect with God.
This is why we must seek God early in the morning. Jesus understood the importance of this because it was His practice to rise early to pray. The gospel of Mark tells us, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35
It is a dangerous thing to go throughout the day without being covered in prayer. We need to seek Christ for guidance and protection before we start our day. Thus, we must be intentional in seeking Him early.
- Find a Solitary Spot
It’s best to identify a private spot where you can pray undisturbed. It need not be any place great or grand, just a simple place where you can be alone, even your bathroom. I currently use my closet. It’s not a big closet, but it is big enough for me to get in and close the door for undisturbed quietude.
- Pray Out Loud:
It’s so easy to lose our focus when we pray. Too many times I’ve found myself in the posture of prayer bombarded with random thoughts. I’ll find myself reminiscing on past events or thinking about my upcoming plans and before I know it 10 minutes have passed and I’ve had no communion with the Lord.
Luckily, I’ve found that praying out loud is one of the best remedies for runaway prayers. When we speak out loud we subconsciously cause are minds to be more focused and engaged, resulting in more meaningful prayers.
I’m not certain if Jesus encountered the same issue but I’m pretty sure He was in the habit of praying out loud. See, Luke 11:1 and Hebrews 5:7.
- Keep it Real
Fancy clichés and scripted prayers, will not lead to a healthy prayer life. Imagine if every time you had a conversation with one of your friends, they said the same thing over and over again or talked to you in a very formal way. Wouldn’t that seem strange? Well the same thing applies to our dearest friend God.
When we learn to be vulnerable before the Lord and began to have those “real talk” conversations with Him, our relationship will grow. God is our friend and He wants for us to pour out our hearts to Him as we would do with any earthly friend. We should tell Him when we are upset, confused, sad, happy, or scared. He wants us to share it all with Him.
- Stay Committed
We are in desperate need of God and can’t afford to miss one day of sweet communion with Him. The devil realizes our need and thus fears those who have a heart connection with God through prayer. This is why he will do everything in his power to keep us from our prayer time. Therefore we must be committed to forming the habit of prayer. Initially this may seem difficult but with time and God’s help it will become second nature.
What things have you tried to strengthen your prayer life? Share your secrets and victories below so that we all can be encouraged. Also, please share this post and subscribe to the blog. God bless!