Glory in the Morning

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

Truth be told, it has been tough for me to learn how to pray, mostly because I am so easily distracted. But good things require good effort, right?

For awhile, it seemed I would never get the “hang” of it. Not until God showed me, in His Word, something special. It is that the Holy Spirit helps us pray. He knows what is in our hearts, even if we have trouble finding the words.

He also showed me that it’s okay that it takes me more than a few minutes of praying to get really focused on Him, listening and worshipping Him. I used to think there was something wrong with me because it took me so long to really feel His presence.

Now, I know that was His way of teaching me to slow down, so that I could get the most out of my time with Him. He knew I needed that:) Why do we, as Christians, sometimes rush our prayers?

THREE THOUGHTS…

ONE… We pray when we need something, so, after we ask, we may feel our prayer is done. That would be true if the purpose of prayer is only to ask Jesus for things. But it’s not.

Prayer is also for inviting Him in our hearts and forgiving our sins It’s about togetherness with Him and communication. It’s about needing Him and honoring Him by prioritizing Him and His will.

TWO… We have much planned for the day, so we may rush our prayers. I know I have done that. But Jesus deserves more than a cursory nod or few words thrown in His direction. We are HIS servants. He is not ours.

What if we reverse our thoughts and HIS plans become more important to us than OUR plans? What if He has an opportunity for us to tell someone about Him today? Isn’t that way more important than my to-do list? Yep!

THREE…It is okay if we need tools to help us pray. Here’s a few ideas:

1. God’s Word is always the best first place to look for help. We can look up verses that can help guide us. God will bless our efforts!

2.An acronym such as this may help… P.R.A.Y.E.R. Pause in His presence. Raise your praise to Him.. Ask for His will. Yield your heart. Earnestly listen. Request help for others. Try making your own acronym based on purposes for prayer.

3. Make a list of what makes a good relationship, and apply those to prayer. Examples…communication, time together, advice and guidance shared, sincere desire to grow the relationship, ability to admit we were wrong, desire to please the other person, etc…

4. Focusing on others, make a list of who to pray for and who to help and who to reach out to. Write down when God answers prayer. Ask God for His guidance in all areas of your life.

These are just my thoughts as I, a still-learning pray-er, try to please God in coming to Him more intentionally. Hope it can be of some help to us both!

With love from the Father to you, have a great day!

Christina