Over and over and over again, God has practically screamed at me, "PRAYER! You keep asking why things are a certain way, you keep saying you want things to get better, so PRAY!"
Last summer I heard countless sermons about the power of prayer at different churches across the United States. I heard this theme through music, in conversations, and all over the place. It seemed like everywhere I went I saw this motif.
So, I decided to do something about it-- I responded to God by exclaiming, "Okay, okay, God-- I hear you!" and over the past 8 months or so, I've really tried to make prayer a priority in my life. As God continued to hit me over the head with this theme, I realized that my passion for prayer needed to move beyond my personal life.
One of the ways this movement has gone beyond me is with the start of a prayer group that Laurel and I put together. If you follow us regularly you'll remember that Laurel wrote a great post about the prayer group (you can read that post here) and if you're in Colorado Springs and would like to attend it, you can find more information about it here. Though the majority of people that have been attending include Laurel, myself, and random members of my family, I've seen God do incredible things and I can't even imagine what would happen if this movement were to gain momentum.
All the while, I've been praying with more fervency and expectancy, but most of all, I've been trying to remember that my prayers do mean something-- everything-- to God, and while the prayers of millions can move mountains, so can the prayers of one believer who truly believes that God hears.
So, whether you make the time to pray with other Jesus-followers, or just remember to be in constant conversation with The Creator by yourself, let's take a few moments to remember,
WHY we must pray,
HOW we must pray, and
WHAT things we should pray for...
Let's start with our purpose-- what's the point of prayer anyway? Isn't my once a week hail-mary good enough? Answer: No...
I loved the way that a guest speaker I heard at a church building (that I don't remember the name of) put it. He said (to paraphrase) "We see so many problems in the world and we, as Christians, often feel the need to help fight these problems. But where is the battleground? Is it on missions trips in foreign countries? Is it on missions trips in our own country? Is it during outreach projects and in our church buildings on Sundays? Where is the battleground?"
Wait for it-- this answer blew my mind so I figure suspense is necessary-- wait for it. . .
"There are always spiritual battles going on around us, and the only way we see that we are able to impact the heavenlies is through prayer. So the battleground isn't our missions trips-- the battleground is on our knees."
Did you hear that? THE BATTLEGROUND IS ON OUR KNEES! Be excited people! This is our only chance to suit up for war and be a part of the battle that's going on daily. Not that you should halt in missions and stop taking physical action when you can, but stop making prayer the last resort for times when you aren't able to physically help a situation, and make it your first reaction in every situation (positive or negative).
Jesus tells us that we have to pick up our cross daily, and let me tell you people, when you take this on, it isn't a stroll in the park or a float on cloud nine. Though we receive everlasting joy, picking up your cross is HARD. If every day we are putting on a suit of armor to fight the good fight and pick up our cross, then let's get to the battleground that we were made to fight on. This is our one chance to fight in unity with the rest of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is our one chance to go to fight in a battle that we don't have to go to a certain school or network certain connections to be victors in. You don't need credentials of bravery, you don't need to know how to shoot a gun (but good for you if you do know how), you don't need anything, except for Jesus in your heart. Pray!
Not to mention, prayer is the one thing that unites the believers. Even the word of God can bring about discrepancies when humans try to interpret it between different denominations, but prayer is something that all followers of Christ can agree is important.
Are you excited yet?!
like... what....?
Don't get me wrong, that's really sweet, I guess, but
First of all, it kind of sounds like an excuse to not pray, which is lame because any opportunity to talk to God is a good one and
Second of all, that is SO discouraging to me. I want everyone to feel like they have the power of prayer in them-- because they do-- and no one has to or should pray "like that," you should pray like you!
Having said all of that, I get it, I really do. I've been there. Especially when you're younger in the faith, it's easy to listen to someone pray out loud and think, "Wow, what an eloquent speech. Did they plan that out? I think I'll just keep my mouth shut because I didn't plan anything out. My nerves would probably take over and I'd be like, 'uh... thanks bro, for... ya know... dying on the cross and stuff...'" I've been in that place where it seems like there has to be a specific formula for prayer, but God has really convicted me personally that there is no formula.
Learning about the lack of prayer formula was something that I really saw in Brazil. While I was there, I'm pretty sure I literally gasped when people were just praying on top of each other left and right and then sometimes there was silence. Sometimes there were 10 people praying at once and sometimes there was 1 person praying. Worst of all, there was NO ORDER! That's right all you westerners-- No order! People didn't even squeeze hands to figure out who should go next or anything! Ah man, that was a great time. Being a part of this really reminded me that prayer is not about what you say, when you say it, or who hears you when you say it. It's about a conversation with God that is meant to bring Him glory.
That being said, it's important to be honest when praying. Don't go all "Christianese" by praying about things that you make up just to sound nice-- be real. This concept is hard for me to explain in more depth, but being honest with God and myself has really revolutionized my prayer life. Even if you feel like you're pretty honest in prayer now, I challenge you to ask God how you can be even more transparent in your relationship with Him. If you ask, I promise He will show you.
Finally, do what you're comfortable with and go outside of your comfort zone. Prayerception-- I know. What I mean by this is, if you're at a prayer meeting where everyone else prays out loud, but you don't feel comfortable praying out loud, then pray silently. It's better to pray in your head while gathered in fellowship then to stay home because you're uncomfortable or afraid. However, try to change things up from time to time and push yourself outside of your comfort zone in your prayer life. If you've never prayed out loud before, try it sometime. If you've never prayed in your head before, try it sometime. If you've never journaled, or tried Korean style prayer, or many other things-- try it sometime! Just like any relationship, ya gotta spice things up from time to time in your relationship with God! It's amazing how you will see God transform your heart when you do this.
We should pray for everything! Seriously, God cares about all the details of life-- He is life, after all. The more you talk with Him, the more you'll see your life refined by Him. Even if you're a babbling idiot like I am most of the time, He will refine you because the beauty of prayer is that it is a conversation. Prayer is not you running your mouth at God. Instead, it's a conversation in which He responds.
I try to keep talking and listening to God throughout my day so that prayer is really just a never-ending thing in my life. This means we'll talk about the weather, homework, work, parking spots (our fave), music lessons, meals, family, friends...
If prayer is far from being a way of life for you, you might consider picking some select times of your day to make prayer important and pick some topics to pray about.
Here is a list of some things you can keep in mind to be in prayer about:
Last summer I heard countless sermons about the power of prayer at different churches across the United States. I heard this theme through music, in conversations, and all over the place. It seemed like everywhere I went I saw this motif.
So, I decided to do something about it-- I responded to God by exclaiming, "Okay, okay, God-- I hear you!" and over the past 8 months or so, I've really tried to make prayer a priority in my life. As God continued to hit me over the head with this theme, I realized that my passion for prayer needed to move beyond my personal life.
One of the ways this movement has gone beyond me is with the start of a prayer group that Laurel and I put together. If you follow us regularly you'll remember that Laurel wrote a great post about the prayer group (you can read that post here) and if you're in Colorado Springs and would like to attend it, you can find more information about it here. Though the majority of people that have been attending include Laurel, myself, and random members of my family, I've seen God do incredible things and I can't even imagine what would happen if this movement were to gain momentum.
All the while, I've been praying with more fervency and expectancy, but most of all, I've been trying to remember that my prayers do mean something-- everything-- to God, and while the prayers of millions can move mountains, so can the prayers of one believer who truly believes that God hears.
So, whether you make the time to pray with other Jesus-followers, or just remember to be in constant conversation with The Creator by yourself, let's take a few moments to remember,
WHY we must pray,
HOW we must pray, and
WHAT things we should pray for...
1.) WHY we must pray:
Let's start with our purpose-- what's the point of prayer anyway? Isn't my once a week hail-mary good enough? Answer: No...
I loved the way that a guest speaker I heard at a church building (that I don't remember the name of) put it. He said (to paraphrase) "We see so many problems in the world and we, as Christians, often feel the need to help fight these problems. But where is the battleground? Is it on missions trips in foreign countries? Is it on missions trips in our own country? Is it during outreach projects and in our church buildings on Sundays? Where is the battleground?"
Wait for it-- this answer blew my mind so I figure suspense is necessary-- wait for it. . .
"There are always spiritual battles going on around us, and the only way we see that we are able to impact the heavenlies is through prayer. So the battleground isn't our missions trips-- the battleground is on our knees."
Did you hear that? THE BATTLEGROUND IS ON OUR KNEES! Be excited people! This is our only chance to suit up for war and be a part of the battle that's going on daily. Not that you should halt in missions and stop taking physical action when you can, but stop making prayer the last resort for times when you aren't able to physically help a situation, and make it your first reaction in every situation (positive or negative).
Jesus tells us that we have to pick up our cross daily, and let me tell you people, when you take this on, it isn't a stroll in the park or a float on cloud nine. Though we receive everlasting joy, picking up your cross is HARD. If every day we are putting on a suit of armor to fight the good fight and pick up our cross, then let's get to the battleground that we were made to fight on. This is our one chance to fight in unity with the rest of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is our one chance to go to fight in a battle that we don't have to go to a certain school or network certain connections to be victors in. You don't need credentials of bravery, you don't need to know how to shoot a gun (but good for you if you do know how), you don't need anything, except for Jesus in your heart. Pray!
Not to mention, prayer is the one thing that unites the believers. Even the word of God can bring about discrepancies when humans try to interpret it between different denominations, but prayer is something that all followers of Christ can agree is important.
Are you excited yet?!
2.) HOW we must pray:
One of the most back-handed (or maybe I should say "back-spirited?") compliments that I've ever received is, "Wow, Emma, I just love the way you pray. You're just so good at it. I don't think I could ever pray like that, so I'll let you do all the praying."like... what....?
Don't get me wrong, that's really sweet, I guess, but
First of all, it kind of sounds like an excuse to not pray, which is lame because any opportunity to talk to God is a good one and
Second of all, that is SO discouraging to me. I want everyone to feel like they have the power of prayer in them-- because they do-- and no one has to or should pray "like that," you should pray like you!
Having said all of that, I get it, I really do. I've been there. Especially when you're younger in the faith, it's easy to listen to someone pray out loud and think, "Wow, what an eloquent speech. Did they plan that out? I think I'll just keep my mouth shut because I didn't plan anything out. My nerves would probably take over and I'd be like, 'uh... thanks bro, for... ya know... dying on the cross and stuff...'" I've been in that place where it seems like there has to be a specific formula for prayer, but God has really convicted me personally that there is no formula.
Learning about the lack of prayer formula was something that I really saw in Brazil. While I was there, I'm pretty sure I literally gasped when people were just praying on top of each other left and right and then sometimes there was silence. Sometimes there were 10 people praying at once and sometimes there was 1 person praying. Worst of all, there was NO ORDER! That's right all you westerners-- No order! People didn't even squeeze hands to figure out who should go next or anything! Ah man, that was a great time. Being a part of this really reminded me that prayer is not about what you say, when you say it, or who hears you when you say it. It's about a conversation with God that is meant to bring Him glory.
That being said, it's important to be honest when praying. Don't go all "Christianese" by praying about things that you make up just to sound nice-- be real. This concept is hard for me to explain in more depth, but being honest with God and myself has really revolutionized my prayer life. Even if you feel like you're pretty honest in prayer now, I challenge you to ask God how you can be even more transparent in your relationship with Him. If you ask, I promise He will show you.
Finally, do what you're comfortable with and go outside of your comfort zone. Prayerception-- I know. What I mean by this is, if you're at a prayer meeting where everyone else prays out loud, but you don't feel comfortable praying out loud, then pray silently. It's better to pray in your head while gathered in fellowship then to stay home because you're uncomfortable or afraid. However, try to change things up from time to time and push yourself outside of your comfort zone in your prayer life. If you've never prayed out loud before, try it sometime. If you've never prayed in your head before, try it sometime. If you've never journaled, or tried Korean style prayer, or many other things-- try it sometime! Just like any relationship, ya gotta spice things up from time to time in your relationship with God! It's amazing how you will see God transform your heart when you do this.
3.) WHAT things we should pray for:
I promise I'll try to make this section shorter. Luckily the answer is more simple.We should pray for everything! Seriously, God cares about all the details of life-- He is life, after all. The more you talk with Him, the more you'll see your life refined by Him. Even if you're a babbling idiot like I am most of the time, He will refine you because the beauty of prayer is that it is a conversation. Prayer is not you running your mouth at God. Instead, it's a conversation in which He responds.
I try to keep talking and listening to God throughout my day so that prayer is really just a never-ending thing in my life. This means we'll talk about the weather, homework, work, parking spots (our fave), music lessons, meals, family, friends...
If prayer is far from being a way of life for you, you might consider picking some select times of your day to make prayer important and pick some topics to pray about.
Here is a list of some things you can keep in mind to be in prayer about:
- Your nation-- Whether it be the USA or somewhere else, your nation could use prayer. Prayers for safety, guidance, and great leadership among other things.
- Your city-- pray for the place you live and watch it change. Who knows the needs of your city better than you? (Besides God)
- Your neighborhood/neighbors-- Guys. Most people know more about their favorite celebrities than their neighbors, here in America. Let's change that by getting to know our neighbors and, more importantly, helping them to know Christ!
- World Crisis-- pretty self explanatory.
- Your home/family-- Every home is a church, filled with some of the most influential people in your life whether they're good or bad to you. It's imperative that you pray for them with the hope that you might all grow in your relationship with Jesus.
^These are just a few topics that I feel led to pray about. These are some things that we can come together to pray for!
Prayer tips:
1. Sometimes when I'm really struggling in my prayer life, God reminds me that prayer is not meant to be all about me. So if you find yourself struggling, remember to pray often for other people and watch how God uses that.
2. Can't sleep at night? Scroll through your FB friend list and pray for everyone you come across.
3. Write people's names on sticky notes and put them in random places. When you come across the note, pray for that person.
4. A personal favorite-- write names of people, things, or topics on random pages of your Bible and pray over them when you get to that page in your Bible reading.
Remember, prayer is our greatest opportunity is to surrender everything to Him. Therefore let prayer be our first response instead of our last resort.
Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy, & Stay Creative,
Emma
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