The Discipline of Prayer

The Discipline of Prayer

The Lord Jesus told us in The Sermon on the Mount to go into our closet, close the door and talk to our Father. (Matthew 6:6) Jesus' life modeled that principle of getting away and being alone in the presence of the Father. The discipline of prayer opens our lives to God for change.

As we spend time in prayer, God has the freedom to change our minds about the people and situations we experience in every day life. We'll probably discover changes in our own lives during those extended times of prayer. I read of one person who regularly prays "Lord, shine your light on the dark corners of my heart." When we're really honest with ourselves, we know those dark corners exist and that we need change to get rid of them.

The discipline of prayer helps us learn to talk with God in different ways given the situations of our lives. We can spend time in private prayer, or we can say a quick word of prayer for someone who captures our attention in a store. We can pray silently in a meeting, asking God for wisdom when it's time to make decisions. Many of us who are not used to praying think we must have some special words. God isn't worried about the words; He just wants you to talk to Him and listen to Him.

Prayer needs to be more than a discipline, however. Dallas Willard writes, "It would...be a rather low-voltage spiritual life in which prayer was chiefly undertaken as a discipline...." Having said that, the practice of prayer is a learned discipline. Most of us know the experience of getting just past "Heavenly Father" when we pray before our minds begin to wander. The discipline involved in learning to pray brings us to a place of single-mindedness, a place where God really is the focus of our praying.

We'll find ourselves distracted at times. Don't give up! We will notice our minds wandering among the countless concerns of the day.
However, as we continue in the paths of prayer, our meanders will be shorter and less frequent. We'll discover that God seems present more and more through our day, and we'll carry on conversations with Him about all the things that come into our day. Remember 1 Timothy 4:7.
". . . discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness . . . ."

Finally, don't forget that prayer is a conversation, not a monologue.
Take time to listen for God's voice in the midst of your praying. It's good to just sit in His presence and tell Him that you're listening.
Even if you don't hear anything specific, you'll benefit from living in His presence.

Many resources are available to help you learn how to pray. Read some books. Talk to your pastor. Look for some instruction in the internet from sources you trust. If you still have questions about how to pray, email Bill Welte. Either he can help you or put you in touch with me or someone else who can help you.

Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River and is our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.

Great Quote: Since God offers to manage our affairs for us, let us once and for all hand them over to His infinite wisdom, in order to occupy ourselves only with Himself and what belongs to Him. Jean-Pierre de Caussade