Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
In this last newsletter on prayer, I want to discuss how to grow our prayer lives practically. I want to take the truths about prayer that I’ve previously discussed and share some of the ways I’ve applied them in my own life. Some of these may be helpful to you, and some may not be your style. No matter what, I hope this email encourages you to look for ways you can grow your own prayer life.
Take a few seconds to go back and read the opening verse at the top of this email. It’s a short one, but it’s packed with some pretty powerful commands. “Devote” is not a word we use lightly in the English language, yet Paul here commands his readers to “devote themselves to prayer.” When we devote ourselves to something or someone, we’re dedicated, focused, and committed to that person or thing.
So how do we become devoted to prayer? We treat it like a priority, not a second thought. We treat it like it’s the most important response we can have in a situation, not our last resort. I would struggle to say I lived devoted to prayer most days, but there are some practices that I have found helpful so that I am more focused on being prayerful. These are not all my own ideas, but some have come from other God-honoring brothers and sisters in Christ who have shared these suggestions with me.
* Praying throughout the day — This ties back into all the previous passages from the other newsletters in this series about praying continually or praying in all circumstances. So how do we actually do it? Try setting reminders on your phone throughout the day to remind you to pray. If you’re a sticky note kind of person, write notes for yourself and stick them in places you’ll see during the day, and when you see them, actually stop and pray! You could also carve out time before or after each meal of the day to spend more time in focused prayer or going through requests. The more we train ourselves to pray throughout our normal routine, the more prayer will be come part of that routine.
* Praying with others — Make it a habit to pray out loud with your friends. Ask them what you can be praying for as you’re hanging out or catching up, and then just stop to actually pray with them. This could be in person or over the phone. If it seems like it will be awkward to be the one to suggest praying out loud together, just remember that it will only be awkward, weird, or uncomfortable until you make it a normal practice in your relationships with others. Another way to grow in praying with others is whenever someone asks you to pray for something, don’t (like me at times) just say, “I’ll be praying for you.” Stop there in the moment and actually pray! And praying with others doesn’t have to be out loud, but it is encouraging to hear the words of what brothers and sisters in Christ may be praying for you about.
* Praying through prayer requests regularly — Write out a prayer list and go through it each day. When someone mentions a prayer request, try to type up a note in your phone so you can add it to your list later. Or use apps like “PrayerMate” where you can track your prayer requests electronically. You can also choose how many things or lists to pray over each day if you use that app. If you keep a personal calendar or planner, pencil in different people, situations, and requests on each day of the week. This helps me pray about more things more frequently without feeling overwhelmed by trying to go through my whole prayer list.
* Staying focused while praying — Do you struggle with staying focused when trying to pray for an extended period of time? (Yes, even 5 minutes straight may be extended for some of us!) This is where having a prayer list or using the PrayerMate app helps me, because it’s something I can come back to when I catch myself distracted, daydreaming, or just busy in my thoughts for the day. Another thing I suggest is setting a timer. Again, even 5 minutes is a good goal to start with for continual, focused prayer time, and some of you may even need to start with 1 or 2 minutes at a time. There’s nothing wrong with that! You could even challenge yourself to pray over each request for one minute at a time, and then watch as the minutes add up! While quantity shouldn’t be our only goal in growing in our prayer life, spending more time in prayer is something all of us should always be striving for. The more we’re praying, the more we’re spending time with our Heavenly Father and communing with Him. Prayer is like a balm to our weary souls… we just so often forget to make time for it!
* Praying through biblical prayers — One practical way to use the types and purposes of prayers discussed in my previous newsletters is that you can pray through the biblical prayers and make them your own. Praying through the Psalms and re-writing them into my own prayers, praises, and cries has been one of the biggest ways God has grown me in the past couple of years. When you don’t know what to say, use the words of those who came before you. When you just don’t feel hopeful, find a prayer full of hope form Scripture to pray through. Cling to other believers’ faith when yours is rocky. Praying through Scripture truly helps us rehearse truths to our hearts and minds, even when our feelings aren’t there.
It has been such a joy to take this small dive into the topic of prayer over the past several weeks, and I hope it has been a help to you. God’s Word really has so much to say about the topic, and it isn’t some vague spiritual practice that we can’t grow in. My prayer is that this newsletter helps you brainstorm some practical ways you can grow in your person prayer life, and I’d love to hear from you if you have any suggestions you would like to share as well! Prayer is a gift with a purpose, from God to us, and I hope this series leaves you feeling more passionate about getting to pray.
From “When We Pray” by Tauren Wells
All the world starts changingWhen the church starts prayingStrongholds start to breakOh, when we prayPrison walls start shakingAt the sound of praisingNothing stays the sameOh, when we prayOh, when we pray, oh
