“Pray without ceasing, and watch by working in accordance with your prayers. As you pray, believe, trust in God. It is the time of the latter rain, when the Lord will give largely of his Spirit. Be fervent in prayer, and watch in the Spirit.” {TM 512:1}
Inspiration for You
Improving Your Spiritual Communication
For a few hardy prayer warriors, talking with God is as easy as breathing; it happens almost effortlessly. When you ask them how they do it, they simply shrug and reply, "I just pray." But many of us need help to improve our way of talking with God. With that in mind, here are some practical guidelines that might make your time with the Lord more fruitful.
- Choose a specific place to pray away from distractions so you can concentrate.
- Pray at the same time every day, if at all possible. Make it part of your regular routine and it will become habit.
- Pray out loud. Many people can pray under their breath or in their minds for long periods and still maintain intensity, but for most of us this method is a quick ticket to dreamland. When we pray out loud, we have to form intelligent sentences. We have to concentrate more on what we're praying about.
- Keep a note pad handy so you can jot down ideas that come to mind while you're before the Lord.
- Make a list to keep track of your prayer needs.
- Redeem time for praying out of unused corners of your schedule.
- Change the pace during your prayer time. Include praise, thanksgiving and singing as well as petition. Spend some of your time reflecting on the Scripture, meditating on it and digesting its meaning.
- Keep a prayer journal. Here are two variations of this idea. The first is to keep track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. The second variation is to write an entire prayer in your journal. Make it a personal letter to the Lord on a daily basis.
- Pray with someone else. Though some prayers can be said only in solitude, there will be times when you'll want to join hearts with another person in prayer.
- Pray one-sentence prayers. If the thought of laboring over a topic wears you out, pray short, sincere prayers instead.
Prayer for the Year
“Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ” (Steps to Christ, p. 66).
New Year 2013
• Spend time with God • Pray more • Help someone • Be a Bible reader • Invest in your health • Exercises your brain • Do your best • Love and forgive
