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“You need a stronger prayer life.”  Those were the words I  heard God impress on my heart in January 2007 when I asked Him if there was a particular area He wanted me to grow in that year.  Little did I know that through responding to that simple phrase God would lead me down a path that would make prayer one of favorite things to do.

Maybe you want to have a passionate prayer life but it seems daunting or boring or confusing.  Maybe you do pray regularly but are always looking for practical tips to help you grow in it.  Either way, I want to share with you some things that have helped me in the journey of prayer that will help you too.

So, you want to have a strong prayer life?

1. Be honest

O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)

Be honest with God when you talk to Him.  Pour out your heart to Him.  No sugarcoating, no faking, no hiding, no flowery language. He knows you and loves you completely anyway, so just be real with Him. He knows your needs before you ask and He knows every word you’ll speak before it leaves your mouth.  He knows your every thought before you think it.  He sees you at every moment. (Matthew 6:8; Psalm 139:1-4)

What’s the point of praying then, you ask?  If God already knows everything I need and everything I’ll say?  God invites us to pray because He wants to leave room for us to participate with Him in the story He is writing in our lives and in the world.  He invites us to pray because it draws us deeper into relationship with Him.  He invites us to pray because He wants us to create space in our hearts and our circumstances for His divine help and He wants to show His power in our lives.

You don’t have to perform for God when you pray.  You don’t have to try to impress Him or others.  Doing those things doesn’t make your prayers more effective.  You simply need to talk to your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 6:5-9)

2. Have a strong life in Scripture

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 

But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! (John 15:7)

A strong prayer life is supported by the Word of God.

As you read God’s Word more and become more familiar with it, you’ll learn to pray.  Through the Bible, we learn how to pray for things God wants for us, for others and that agree with His will and His Word. Why?  The Bible helps us learn more about God’s character, promises and actions.  It helps us learn what His desires are and what pleases Him.  It helps us learn His commands for how He wants people to live and His story of working in the world.  As you get to know God through His Word, you will learn how to pray according to His will.  (1 John 5:14-15)

The Bible will help your vocabulary in prayer to grow as well.  Scripture gives us topics to talk with God about and words to say, in addition to the language of our heart, to help us express ourselves to God in prayer.

You can even pray the prayers and promises of the Bible over the people and things you are praying for-yourself included-using them as a launching pad or praying them verbatim.

For more on how to pray Scripture, access the exclusive content in the Free Resource Library : How To Pray The New Testament Prayers

3. Pray in secret

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  (Matthew 6:6)

Pray in secret doesn’t mean that you should never pray publicly or corporately.

It means that you should be intentional about setting aside time each day to spend time alone with God.  It means you should make a practice of going away by yourself, shutting the door behind you and praying to your Father.  It speaks of personal, private, undistracted time spent with God in prayer.

Jesus taught this and practiced it Himself.  Repeatedly in the Gospels we see Jesus, stepping away from people and the activities of life and ministry to spend some time in private talking with God.

Maybe it’s in the morning before your days starts, or before bed or in the afternoon on a lunch break, but it is vital to your relationship with God to spend one-on-one time with Him praying, worshipping Him and reading His Word. It’s how deep friendship with God grows.  Spending time alone with God has transformed my life more than anything else and it’s now my favorite thing to do.  It can be yours too.

4. Pray without ceasing

Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

You might have heard this verse rendered, “pray without ceasing,” and written on various Christian paraphernalia including mugs,  journals and bible cases (remember those?) 🙂 You may have also wondered how in the world God expects to you pray without ever stopping. Valid question.  Here’s what the heart of that verse means.

You don’t have to stop praying just because your private, formal prayer time is over for the day.  God is with you at every moment, in every activity.  He is listening to you and speaking to you no matter where you are or what you are doing.  It’s important to spend those focused, private times with God, but God is not contained in those times.  He is with you through His Holy Spirit who lives in you and will never leave you. (John 14:16-17)

Pray not only in your secret place, alone times with God, but pray throughout your whole day.  Talk to God while doing other tasks in your day.  Talk to Him about things happening as they come up and ask for His help.  Speak and sing praises of His character to Him out loud or in your heart.  Talk to Him about His Word.  Ask Him questions.  Ask Him to help you understand things.  Ask Him to help you believe His promises and obey His commands.  Ask Him to help you apply His Word to your life.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:16-17)

One the most impactful things I’ve learned about talking to God over the last few years is the power of a 30-second prayer, whispered or prayed silently in my heart in between tasks.  A prayer doesn’t have to be long to be powerful.  A prayer doesn’t have to be long to be heard by God.

I used to work at a Christian bookstore.  As I’d head to work for the day, I would choose a verse from my devotion time that morning or the night before and I would pray it back to God throughout the day.  If I had a down moment or I was doing a task that didn’t involve me interacting with customers, I’d start asking God to help me understand things I still didn’t understand about the verse I read.  I’d ask Him to help me believe or live whatever the verse was about.  As I waited for the bus home I would sing worship songs to Him if no one was around.  I would ask God to put people in my path I could pray for, or talk to Him about, or do something kind for.  (plenty of opportunity for that when you’re commuting on public transportation in NYC)

Why not do something like that in your life?  What would that look like for you?  What would it look like for you to find ways to interact with God and represent Him to others amidst your daily activities?

The fact that we can talk to the Creator of the universe about our own lives and about the world around us through prayer is amazing.  He loves it when we talk to Him and He loves to bring His presence and help into every situation.  Say yes to God’s invitation to pray today.

Let’s Talk: Which of these secrets to a strong prayer life most resonated with you and why? What step will you take to incorporate it into how you pray?  Discuss this post in the comments below.

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