I’ve been writing about prayer (communication with God) the past couple weeks. Most people struggle with prayer. I’m writing about ways to make it more natural and simpler.
Another idea that enhances your communication with God is making lists about various areas of your life or areas you want to talk to God about in the future. Praying through list helps focus your prayers. Something about list that is great is it is easy to keep track of the prayers God has answered over time.
You can also pray bible verses. Use the verse as an outline of your conversation with God. Meditate on the passages or a verse that speaks powerfully to you. Memorize them, and personalize them, then talk to God about whatever you need to apply to your life. When you pray, do so on the basis of what God has already promised or commanded in the Bible, since that will make your prayers line up with God's will.
Make the most of the downtime you have each day by praying in situations like; sitting in a doctor's or dentist's office, or driving down the interstate, waiting in line to pick up your kids from school, waiting for your car’s oil to be changed, or sitting in a car wash, standing in line, sitting in traffic, waiting to be served in a restaurant, cleaning up after a meal, mowing the lawn or working in the garden, listening to music, trying to fall asleep, taking a bath or shower, sitting at the computer, watching your kids play, taking a walk, or watching television. View every moment of downtime you experience as an opportunity to talk to God.
I always encourage people to just talk with God about whatever comes to them. Whenever life throws circumstances at you for which you're not prepared, make prayer your first response to them. Instead of letting yourself become overwhelmed, wasting time and energy worrying, or trying to solve problems in your own limited strength, pray when you first encounter challenges to release God's power into those situations right away.
I’m running out of time so allow me to briefly mention a few more ways to enhance your prayer life. Frame your request in terms of biblical principles to make sure you're asking according to His will. Seek the answer to your prayer by taking action after you ask. Don't just wait around for God to magically drop the answer in your lap without you doing anything that will move you closer to your goal. Keep knocking on God's door persistently while you wait for Him to answer your prayers; don't give up.
Pray about small things as well as large things. Remember that nothing is too small to pray about; everything is significant to God because it's a part of your life and He loves you deeply. So go ahead and pray about whatever thoughts and feelings occur to you and whatever experiences you have. Don't hold back. Make a habit of connecting to God through prayer constantly.
And lastly, expect God to answer. Judson Cornwall stated, “Empty hearts, prayerless spirits, tired bodies, undisciplined minds, unopened bibles, and careless attitudes have ruined more worship services then all the demonic activity of Hell. E. M. Bounds said, “Prayer is not preparation for battle, prayer is the battle.”
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