“Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers” (Ephesians 6:18)
Prayer is the Lord’s loving reminder that He is God and we are not. It is a journey towards knowing, loving, and being known by our heavenly Father. The more we pray, the less adequate we feel and the more we depend on the Holy Spirit to guide our way.
Last week, we shared four of seven ways to pray:
1. CONTEMPLATE
When we contemplate in prayer we ruminate or mull over God’s Word in our heart and mind. As we prayerfully process the Word we draw closer to Jesus the living Word.
2. CONFESS AND REPENT
Life is messy and sinful. We require continual cleansing from our Savior, Jesus. Prayer is our safe environment for mercy and forgiveness.
3. REJOICE
Through prayer, we celebrate our good, good Father for who He is; for His love, kindness, and beauty; and we recall His many blessings. Prayer is our pipeline to express joyful gratitude to Jesus.
4. CRY OUT
Pain and suffering aggressively call for prayer. We ask other believers to agree with us in prayer. Through prayer, we do not abandon our faith in Christ Jesus, rather, we can go deeper in our relationship with Christ.
Let’s consider three more ways to pray.
5. PETITION
Our heavenly Father delights in giving good gifts to His children. Like any good parent, He gives us what’s best for us and not always what we want. So, we are commanded to persistently ask the Lord in prayer for what pleases Him. (Ezra 8:23 – So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.) Prayer is the platform for the Holy Spirit to align our will with His. Thus, we petition God for healing, wisdom, and salvation of the lost and trust Him with the results.
6. JESUS’ MODEL
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray – we call it the Lord’s prayer. The prayer is comprehensive:
- Collective – Our Father
- Majestic – In heaven
- In awe or reverence of God’s holiness – Hallowed be your name
- Kingdom-minded – Your Kingdom come
- Seeks God’s will – Your will be done
- Request daily provision – Give us daily bread
- Asks forgiveness – Forgive us
- Offers forgiveness – As we forgive
- Keep us from temptation – Lead us not
- Protection from the devil – Deliver us from the evil one
- As Matthew 6:9 says, pray like Jesus.
7. SPONTANEOUS
God wants ongoing communication or conversation with you. So every moment of every day is an opportunity for spontaneous prayer. Create a prayer habit – talking with God about anything, at any time, from anywhere. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, pray without ceasing or pray continually – make prayer the entrance and exit of your thoughts, words, and actions. For example: “Lord, thank you for giving me this opportunity.” “Heavenly Father, I trust You to lead the conversation with my co-worker.” “Dear Lord, give me wisdom to parent my child today.” “Jesus, I need You to show me how to love my spouse as You love them.” You will not cease to be amazed at God.
(Adapted from www.wisdomhunters.com)
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for wanting to communicate with me through prayer. Grow me into a humble person of prayer, aligning my will with Yours. I am in awe of you, God.
