Prayer: It is a daily essential for those who want to grow closer in their relationship with God. But how do you balance it with everything else that is going on in your life?
We don’t need to be overwhelmed by prayer or worry that we are not following the “right” formula. When we set our mind and our intentions on having a deep and meaningful prayer life, we will find that our relationship with God grows and our spiritual health flourishes. Prayer can become as natural as breathing and can bring spiritual vitality, joy, peace and refreshment to our souls.
How do you have an effective prayer life? Follow these simple tips for the next 30 days to start your own prayer challenge:
1. Decide if you want to do this prayer challenge alone or with someone else.
Having a prayer partner can bring deeper meaning to your times of prayer and can be beneficial when staying accountable to what you set out to do.
2. Make a list of your top three prayer requests.
These requests may change from day to day, but try to pick three that you will be intentional about praying for during the next 30 days. If you cannot come up with three things, don’t worry about it. The true purpose of prayer is to simply have a conversation with God and allow Him to move so He can move your heart and develop your spiritual vision.
3. Set a specific prayer time.
This should be a consistent prayer time, one that you can stick to and that has the least likelihood to be filled with distractions. We consistently have calendars that are filled up with appointments, yet there are times we fail to make an appointment with God.
4. Set a specific place to pray.
This is your “go-to spot.” It is a place that you will enter in for the specific purpose of prayer. It could be a room in your house, the front porch, your car — the place doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have the ability to use this place as a private sanctuary for you to meet one on one with God each day.
5. Journal your prayers.
This is important so that you have a tool to see where God has moved in your life. It’s easy to forget what we have prayed for and how our prayer was answered. However, when you journal, you have a physical copy to record the answers you received. After 30 days, re-evaluate your prayer focus. Do you need to change anything? What prayers have been answered? What things could be added? Modify as needed and continue on your prayer journey.
