LEARNING HOW TO PRAY
Prayer is the greatest privilege we have as the children of God. Man has always
longed to talk to God, but did you know that our heavenly Father longs to talk with us and have intimate fellowship with us? Prayer should be as natural as breathing and as enjoyable as eating. God’s heart is hungry for companionship with His children. His heart hunger is the reason for man and the reason for redemption. Of all things, what do you think the disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them? They asked Him to teach then how to pray. Let’s take a look at some principles of prayer.
A. What Is Prayer?
Prayer is our heavenly Father’s invitation to visit with Him. Everything we are and have is because of Him. So prayer is simply talking it over with Him, getting His views, His plans, will, and carrying out these plans with His grace, ability and wisdom. It means that we are welcome to the Throne Room of Love. It is sons
visiting their Father. It is children coming into the presence of a loving Father. Prayer keeps man in close contact with the Father and it enriches one spiritually. Prayer illuminates the mind, refreshes and heals the body and energizes our spirit. Prayer is a spiritual exercise; it is our spirit contacting the Father. But first, you must choose to pray.
B. Develop a Prayer Life
We are children of choice, and we are what we make ourselves. This prayer
habit will be born of your own will. This habit is very hard for most people to form. However, it should never be a duty, for just like we don’t enjoy those that visit us out of duty, so does our Heavenly Father (Mathew 6:5). We want those who love us to come be with us because they enjoy it and want to. We should think of prayer as a rare opportunity and a great honor to meet with the God of the universe. However, there are some practical guidelines to follow if you are going to maintain an active prayer life.
- Find a Time
You have chosen to pray; now you must find a time when to pray. David said,
“Evening, morning and noon will I pray.” Your prayer must be organized; the Lord is not opposed to order (I Cor. 14:40). Few people succeed in praying unless you have a planned time set aside to pray. In finding the best time for daily prayer, give consideration to your personal life style. Don’t try to do like someone else. - Find A Place
It helps if you establish in your home a place of prayer. Luke 11:1 mentions
that the Lord was praying in a certain place. Try to find a secret place, a (closet)place where you can get alone with God. In the Bible, prayer was done in a number of places: at a well, in open fields, in chains, in the belly of a fish, standing in a river, at a grave, on a cross, in a dungeon, in a shipwreck. So you see, where you pray is not important, as long as you pray.