Prayer

Posted by Paul on 10/04/06 • Categorized as Spiritual Disciplines

It seems that one area in which almost every Christian feels they need to experience growth in, is in the area of prayer. Many feel that either they don’t prayer enough, their prayers aren’t heard, or they simply don’t know how to prayer, among many other feelings. Prayer seems to be one of those simple, yet complex things. At its core, prayer is simply communication with God, but at the same time it seems to be one of the most difficult disciplines to practice.

In class, we are getting ready to start learning and discussing about prayer. Some of the specific areas we hope to delve into include: what to do with a wandering mind, what is the purpose of prayer, a proper understanding of prayer, and the practical ways we can grow in this area. rogaine

So, with your help, I’d like to get the discussion started here. What are some of your thoughts on prayer? Are there any particular hurdles you can’t seem to get over? Have you gotten over some past hindrances? If so, how? How do you pray? Do you pray? When the topic of prayer comes up, what’s your first thought?

Sharpe's Company movie Let the discussion begin…

(to join the discussion, simply leave a comment below)

  • Great thoughts Lisa! What an awesome privilege and opportunity we have!

    You are right Sten, giving praise to God is a vital aspect of our prayer life.
  • Sten
    I'm totally agreed with Lisa, especially on example of Jesus. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “He fell with his face to the ground and prayed (prostrate fall) …Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) I believe many times we receive the answer of our prayers. Nevertheless, we are not ready to accept those results because they are not according to our will.

    Second, I believe that we don’t offer enough praise. In many cases, I realize that the Lord has heard me, but next day the routine starts and I pray for the same thing again. In the light of Isaiah 6, I am convinced that after such confirmation, I need to praise the Almighty God. So the praise goes up and the answer comes down.
  • Lisa
    I really believe there are multiple reasons why many people have difficulty with prayer. Many tend to view God as big and impersonal and don't want to "bother" Him with the details. Some view God through the filter of their experiences with a less than desirable earthly father and think that God will respond to them likewise. Others have such low self-worth that they just don't think God cares enough to listen to them. Still others don't understand that really cultivating an intimate relationship with God requires communicating with Him with a listening heart. So many offer up prayers and petitions to Him without stopping to sit and listen to Him speaking to their hearts. And, of course, we have our never-ending busy schedules that make us feel like we have to "fit" prayer into them. But the good news is that Jesus always meets us where we are and honors every attempt we make to enter His presence. Worshipful prayer in which we honor who He is as well as what He has done for us ushers us into His presence, enables us to connect and communicate with Him, and changes us. Praying His Word is also very powerful. We don't have to have any agenda except to be with Him, to connect with Him, to listen to Him, and eventually, the Holy Spirit begins to pray through us (a two-directional process rather than one). Think about it--the God of the Universe has given US the privilege of boldly approaching His throne to talk with Him about anything and everything! What an awesome God we serve! Jesus Himself set the example. Why should we do any less? May the Lord expand our vision of prayer and open our eyes to see the beautiful, holy, precious gift that it is. Praise Him!!!!
  • How true! And if you think about it, the fact that God sees right to our heart is very freeing (it can also be terrifying!). Freeing because we no longer have to try and manipulate and control the conversation. But like you said, we've been conditioned for so long to do those things, so to let go can be difficult, but so worth it!
  • simon
    We learn from very early on to communicate in a way that will get us what we want. Examples would be; using good manners to be pleasant, elaborating for attention, lying to cover our faults. What we rarely do with each other is communicate with full honesty. When we talk with God we must be fully aware that He knows our every thought, motive and feeling. He is only impressed with our sincerety. What prayer can do for the soul is open ones own eyes to oneself as we open ourselves to God.
  • Good point! I really like the phrase "simple conversation with God." The practice of "simple prayer" is one that we will be looking at in the upcoming class.

    So, how do you think we get back to that place of simple conversation with God?
  • We've learned how to crowd our lives w/ so many methods of communication w/ each other that we've forgotten how to have a simple conversation w/ God.
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