Seven Ways To Pray

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CORDLESS DRILLS
It’s really easy for Christians to focus so much on the Bible that they forget the one Who it testifies about.  This includes myself.  Sometimes we become guilty of worshiping the Bible over worshiping the one who wrote the Bible.  This is exactly what Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing.

Not praying is like becoming a cordless drill.  We plug in, charge our batteries, unplug and go.  But if you know anything about power tools, their charge doesn’t really last that long.  You constantly have to plug cordless drills back in to recharge over and over again.  Many come with extra battery packs because of how often this happens.

I think God would rather us be plugged into The Source.  If we operated as drills that stayed plugged into the cord, we would have more than enough energy to keep going!  Prayer is like that.  Prayer plugs us into The Source.


WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is communion with God.  Prayer is the way that we connect with The Source, where we renew our strength.  Prayer is as simple as talking to God.  There isn’t a list of words, or a type of English we have to use.  “Thee” and “Thou” are not required when praying to God!  We don’t have to face a certain direction or be in a certain position.
Not necessarily necessary

WAYS TO PRAY // THEE’S AND THOU’S NOT WELCOME
All this being said, I wanted to provide us with some ways to pray.  “I don’t know how to pray,” seems to be something plenty of people struggle with, and so here are a few examples:

            THE LORD’S PRAYER
Jesus provides us with a model for prayer in Matthew 6:5-13.  This prayer isn’t meant to be repeated as a “meaningless repetition” (Matt. 6:7).  God wants our hearts.  This prayer guides us through a general process of praying.  1) Praising God 2) Praying for God’s will 3) Asking for God’s provision 4) Asking for God’s forgiveness 5) Asking for God’s guidance.

            A-C-T-S MODEL
                        A – Adoration
                        C – Confession
                        T – Thanksgiving
                        S – Supplication (requests)
I really love this prayer model and use it often.  I think it helps remind us of who God is when we pray, and we don’t just come to Him as a genie to grant our requests.  Only ¼ of the time is spent on ourselves, while the rest is on God.

            EMPTY CHAIR
If closing your eyes and praying doesn’t seem to be working, set up two chairs.  Sit in one of them, and have the other empty chair face you.  Have a conversation as if God Himself was sitting right in front of you and He was about to listen to every single word from out of your mouth.  It may sound silly, but this can really be effective.

            JOURNALING
Some people are much better at writing than talking.  Write (or type) down what you want to say to God.  Mark Batterson recommends keeping a prayer journal, because it’s really cool to go back and read what you wrote, and how God answered your prayers.  It also builds confidence in Him to see His faithfulness over the years.

            PRAYING THE BIBLE
After you read something in the Bible, pray about it.  Praying the Bible helps reinforce what you read, and gives you a real perspective shift.  Today I read about how God revealed King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel.  I then prayed and thanked God that He speaks to me and listens to me when I pray.  I asked Him to reveal things to me and to see the world as He sees it, and that I would be open to Him working more in my life.

            PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:26-27 says that when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit knows what to pray for us.  He knows our heart and God’s heart, and can pray the right words for us.  If you have a private prayer language, don’t neglect this gift.  Pray God’s will in your private times.

            LISTEN!
Prayer isn’t just talking to God.  It’s also letting Him speak back to you!  Take some time to listen to Him; don’t just ramble about everything you need Him to do.
“How do I know if God speaks to me?”  If you have a thought in your mind that you know you didn’t think of yourself…that’s probably because God put it there.


SOME QUICK TIPS
Prayer was never meant to be a meaningless ritual.  Lots of the Psalms written by King David are prayers about how he couldn’t see God’s provision in his situation; sometimes he even prayed that God would kill his enemies!  The point isn’t to pray for murder, but instead to be honest with God.  Jesus Himself said that He would have rather not died on the cross, “yet not my will, but yours be done,” (Luke 22:42).  God wants your heart.
Remember:
            -Be yourself – There isn’t a certain type of “lingo” to use
            -Be honest – God isn’t looking for meaningless words, He wants your heart
            -Be empowered – Prayer is connecting to The Source

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
–Hebrews 4:16

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