We are told all of our lives to pray. Pray before a meal, in our beds at night, and before reading God’s word, right? It’s not until recently that I learned that prayer should not be something we do, but who we are.
Have you ever been given a compliment? I won’t lie, my day is always better when I’ve been given a compliment. But there is one compliment I have never ever been given- and that is that I am a living, walking prayer. Wouldn’t that be the best compliment to receive? If you’ve ever been told that, please reach out so that you can write this blog post! For the rest of us though, let’s dive into the importance of prayer, types & spaces of prayer, and some practical steps we can take for a stronger prayer life.
Importance of Prayer
We hear the command to pray all the time from those around us. But why? It may feel like we are just talking to the air and no one is there to listen to us. So, what is the point?
The overall purpose of prayer is intimacy with God. Conversations with our God, no matter where or how, are necessary to grow in, with, and for him.
A perfect example of the importance of prayer is Jesus’s life.
A ministry called (1) desiringGod points out all the time Jesus could’ve been shocking the crowd with unbelievable miracles, but instead, he was in prayer. This shows just how important it is for our faith walks that we prioritize prayer. In order to live boldly for him, we must first have the foundation of intimacy with God. We see this in action in Mark 1:35, “Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus prioritized prayer.
Since we are discussing our Savior’s prayer life, we cannot miss his prayer at the time of his crucifixion. Jesus’s prayer in John 17 was not just a few meaningless words- It was what saved us all (accompanied by his action, of course). If that doesn’t show the power of prayer, I’m not sure what does. Also, in Luke 23:34, as Jesus is publicly embarrassed and painfully crucified, he asks his Father to forgive the ones who are inducing this agony on him! His prayer life was so strong, that his response to a hate crime was praying over the ones committing it.
Not only do we have proof of the importance of prayer, but we are told to pray.
Jesus’s command in Matthew 5:44 is to “pray for those who persecute you.” We are commanded to pray! Then, In Romans 8:29 it says we are conformed to the image of the Son, or, that we are to live like Jesus. We know how much time Jesus spent in prayer, so let’s compare that to how much time we spend in prayer. There is probably a huge gap! Not only should we be obeying God’s commands, but we should also be renewing our lifestyle to look like Jesus’s lifestyle more and more every day.
We cannot argue which aspect of our spiritual lives is most important (bible study, prayer, fellowship, worship, etc.) because we are called to do all. However, we can argue that praying is one of the most important things we will ever occupy our time with. And it’s not until we’re praying bold & intentional prayers that we realize the power of the Holy Spirit. The best way to describe how the Holy Spirit works in someone who fervently prays is supernatural. By the way, the definition of supernatural is “beyond scientific understanding.”
The idea of prayer seems so easy that its richness can often be looked over. The power that raised Christ from the dead is living within us! It’s time to develop a relationship with him and create a lifestyle of prayer.
Spaces of Prayer
We know that Jesus was in constant prayer, and we know that a great goal is for prayer to become who we are. Because this is so, it means we must be able to pray constantly.
You may be thinking, “I’m too busy to pray more than twice a day!” or “It’s not like I can drop down on my knees in the middle of an English test.” The good news is that the Lord does not care where we meet him, he just wants to be met. So let’s look at the different times and spaces we can pray in.
Keep in mind, that it does not matter what we are doing, prayer is ALWAYS helpful, but these are the main spaces in our daily lives where we can find ourselves praying:
- Alone and Available- This is usually when we are completely alone and not distracted. For me, that is in the mornings during my bible study or at night before I go to sleep. This is extremely powerful because these prayers can be long and intentional.
- Alone but Busy- This is still when we are mostly alone, but we may be doing something else along with prayer. This is usually the best way to practice the lifestyle of prayer. It is those times when we are driving, taking a shower, in the middle of work, and many more random opportunities.
- In a Group but by Ourself- These times of prayer are usually when we are in large groups. The most frequent time for me is in church when we have a few minutes for silent confession. I am surrounded by other believers, but I am praying silently by myself which can be extremely encouraging.
- In a Group and Together- This space of prayer is the most similar to popcorn reading in school when each student takes a turn reading out loud. In our prayer lives, we may pray with other girls in a small group or at times when several prayer requests need to be covered. This can be an important time in our community and create vulnerability.
- Being Prayed Over- Finally, this is exactly what it sounds like. Allowing someone to pray over us whether we ask them to or not. This could be when we are right there with the person who’s praying, or without even knowing they pray for us and we’re not involved at all. It is heart-warming to know there are people out there wanting God to protect and bless you, isn’t it?
Types of Prayer
There are many different ways we can pray. We are so fortunate to serve a God who is ready and willing to listen to our prayers 24/7! Our eyes don’t always need to be closed, we don’t have to use fancy words and don’t have to be put together. In fact, Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” An article by (2) Ligonier Ministries puts it like this, “He is a participant with us in our time of need.”
How cool is it that we have someone praying for us and with us?
The Navigators made a (3) discipleship tool to remember different types of prayer. There are five main types for our five fingers:
Confession is when we believe we have sinned and know we need to ask for repentance. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me.” Try memorizing this verse and praying it over your life daily.
Petition is when we ask God to provide in our lives. James 4:3 says. “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.” But shortly before that in verse 2, it says, “you do not have because you do not ask.” All we have to do is ask! For example, in James 1:5, God promises to give us wisdom, but only if we ask.
Intercession is when we pray for others. This could be for someone’s medical needs, for a change in someone’s heart, for the safety of another country, and so much more. After examining Jesus’s prayer life, we see how important intercession is.
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday. It should be a daily practice for what we have, and even what we don’t have! In fact, in James 1:2-4, God tells us to be thankful for trials! He also tells us in Philippians that thanksgiving is necessary in prayer.
Praise is different than thanksgiving because we are adoring God and his character. This is a time to soak in how blessed we are to have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Incorporating deep breathing and worship music causes so much fulfillment in a moment of praise.
If the hand is too difficult to remember, we can also use the ACTS acronym. It stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. This is great to remind ourselves right before prayer because of the order they are in. Adore God before anything else, confess, thank him for what he has done despite what we have done, and request something from God last.
Renewal of Prayer Life
Since we understand why we should pray and what prayer looks like, how can we apply that to our lives?
- Take some time to ask God to soften your heart and radically change your prayer life. Tell him you are ready to pray courageous & bold prayers!
- Create a prayer journal where you can write all your prayers, and make lists of prayer requests. Frequently revisit this journal by keeping it somewhere accessible like your nightstand.
- Read your bible every day. This allows quiet time to pray before & after reading, and makes it more likely that you have scripture written on your heart as you pray.
- Find a community that will support your prayer life and pray for you themselves. It is also encouraging to go to church where others pray over you.
- Schedule time for prayer. This does not have to be immediately adding an hour to your morning routine for prayer. It means saying things like, “I will pray during my drive to the store today instead of turning on music.”
It is important to note that our prayer lives will never look as perfect as Jesus’s did. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be because Jesus himself filled in those gaps when he died for us! However, it is our job to seek a prayer life as close to his as possible. We will never know how badly God wants conversation with us, until we do it. So, right now (literally this second) start the renewal of your prayer life.
(2) https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/spirits-groan