Discipleship Leadership Blog - Prayer

This month in group DT we have been going through prayer foundations, and this Wednesday at Wesley we will begin a new series all about the power of prayer and how it can unlock the closed doors and opportunities in our life.
 
As Christians - even those of us who are relatively new in our relationships with God - we know the value and importance of prayer. We pray at church, we pray at Wesley, we pray in DT, we pray before a big test, we send up a “thank you, Lord!” when the cop doesn’t pull us over, but for some, maybe many, of us that’s the extent of our prayer lives. Is that the life God had in store for us when he sent us the Holy Spirit?
 
You may have a different answer, but my answer is no!! Absolutely not! Jesus has an incredible, adventurous, and significant prayer life for you!
But, please, don’t take my word for it - try it out for yourself, take God’s word for it instead.
 
All that’s great and easy to say, but acting that out is a bit harder. It is not more complicated, but it might be harder in practice. What does this exciting, powerful prayer life look like practically?
 
For starters, your prayer life is your prayer life.
 
It will look so personal and so unique to you! It’s okay if it doesn’t look like other people’s. Prayer is about you relating to God the way He created you to relate to Him. If your prayer life helps you grow in your relationship with Him, you’re doing it right - no matter what it looks like.
 
Second: God is for you.
 
If you understand this principle, really understand it, it will change the way you pray. God wants good things for us. He wants us to be complete and made whole. That was the purpose of Him sending Jesus and giving us the Holy Spirit so that we can talk and listen to him.
 
Third: Ask God.
 
At least once a week, ask yourself “what would I ask God if he was sitting right across from me?” Then, when you have your answer, actually ask! Prayer is meant to be much more personal than most of us experience. It isn’t like writing a letter or sending an email; we aren’t distant from God trying to get a message to Him. He is close to us. In fact, He lives within us, he’s as close as it gets.
 
Fourth: Connect and rest.
 
I find that I am most connected with God when I am on my knees or lying face down listening to a worship song, and just soaking up God’s presence. This time of resting and listening for God’s voice is irreplaceable. Just think about that. God, the creator of the universe has specific, taylor-made words to speak to me on a daily basis that tell me how much He loves me and teach me how to live so I experience all the good He has for me. If I knew just how significant that was, like if I really understood it, I would never go a day without it. This is not the only way to connect and rest in God, as I stated at the beginning, it is personal. So the way you connect best with God may be the same as me, or completely different.
 
Fifth: Keep a record.
 
Type our or write down your prayers. This takes a little bit of time, but it is so worth it. Sometimes you never know what’s in your head until you write it down and look at it. Getting it out of your head can help you make sense of things, but it also lets you keep track. It will give you a record to look back and see what you have been praying and let you see what has happened in your life since you started praying.
 
Finally: Say Yes.
 
This is one of the biggest things about prayer - God is waiting on us to say yes to the plans he has for us. So when he reveals a bit of his plan or a bit of his character or a bit of your identity, run with it. Accept it because it’s true. Accept it because it’s from a good Father. This is how adventure begins - when you stop living out of a place of cordial conversation with God and begin a habit praying raw, vulnerable, and brave prayers, doing what He says, going where he leads, and believing his truths for you, all with a Father who loves you and is for you!
 
This is the real deal y’all. This is God we’re talking about, He loves you so much! Don’t believe me? Ask him yourself!