Three Prayer Tips for the Woman who longs to Pray

Are you praying as much as you want to or do you feel like you have fallen off the (prayer) wagon and have remained down?

I know I have fallen off that proverbial wagon more times than I can count but I also know I can’t stay down.

Do you have an earnest plea and desire to pray more? You probably do and I do, too.

But wishes are not enough. They have to be followed by our actions and what better way to start than to know and understand what prayer means to us.

 

What does prayer mean to you?

I won’t bug you with intellectual definitions or theological expressions. Prayer is simply a mode of spiritual communication.

God is spirit and those who worship him or seek him must do so in the spirit and in truth. See John ‪4:24

But even so, prayer is more than that. It’s water for a thirsty soul. A soul that hungers for love, for affection, for understanding and for acceptance. 

I realize and you may have too that there is only one source who can satisfy us and do so happily.

It is the one man who adopted us and has never been ashamed of us. We are his priests and princesses and he is always proud to call us his daughters.

Isn’t that amazing. I have chills(the good kind) just thinking about it.

If we know God loves us and wants us with him every time, it makes sense that we should spend time with him.

It means we might have to bump off a few things from our to-do list or just make him our to-do list, right?

But the truth is that knowing these things is never enough.

Have you ever considered what is stifling your prayer life? 

Could it be fear, or are we feeling unworthy or too sinful?

Or maybe we never seem to have time, you schedule a time to pray but life happens and you don’t get to pray?

I hope and pray that these three tips will help you find your way back to the father.

Three prayer tips for the woman who hungers for her God.

1. Just start

I have a simple tip I now use; anytime I think about prayer, I pray. Yes. No ceremony, no waiting. I just do it.

The best part about this is that it doesn’t matter where I am. I could be in line at the grocery store, driving to a meeting or with friends.

Once it comes to mind, I do it as I realised that when we try to schedule a convenient time it may never happen.

One great way is to start your day with a prayer, even if it’s a short ‘microwave’ prayer. Just do it! (thanks, Nike).

As you get used to praying at every opportunity, you may find it easier to schedule longer periods for when you wish to pray for particular purposes.

 

2. It’s not about what you say but how you say it. 

Growing up, I used to marvel at those I felt prayed so well. You probably know the people I’m talking about.

They just seemed to know the right words, even bible verses and had the right tone and all. This made me a bit reluctant to pray but as I’ve grown in the Lord, I’ve realised that I was focusing on the wrong things.

I was focusing on the cosmetic, the physical and not the true meaning of prayer, which is the connection. 

 Have you ever felt this way? Been short of words and not sure of what to say.  Did you decide not to pray rather than continue to ‘babble’?

Here’s some good news. We are all different so it makes sense that we will all pray differently.

But more than that, prayer is not so much about what you say but how you say it. God is looking at our heart. He is more concerned with how genuine and honest we are.

Sis, I need you to say those words even if they sound childish to you.

If you need some more clarity about what to pray or how to pray, our Lord and saviour provided a guide for us in Matthew 6:9-13:

 

“Our father in heaven,

          hallowed by Your name.

          Your kingdom come.

          Your will be done

          On earth, as it is in heaven.

          Give us this day our daily bread.

          And forgive us our debts,

          As we forgive our debtors.”

 

Don’t let fear or a feeling of not being good enough stop you from communing with your father who longs for more time with you. 

When I read certain Bible passages, I’m amazed by God’s love for us and his wish that we humble ourselves and seek his face.

 

3. Make it a conversation and be open

I realize that we all have different perceptions about prayer. Some churches preach it as a reverent act which must be done in a certain way. While I believe Prayer is a reverent act, I look at this more in terms of respect rather than an untouchable or highly placed act. I feel like this may defeat the purpose of what prayer is.

For me, prayer is a conversation with God. Looking at prayer this way changed my prayer life. It changed it from a one-sided “request-a-thon” to a two sided discussion. More than that, it made God relatable, my father.

If God is our father then our relationship with him must be one with a father and not a boss. It means we can play(yes, I said play) with him, be open and honest without disrespecting him.

It also removes the pressure we may feel to say certain things which are deemed “acceptable” but are not true to who we are.

I believe God wants to have honest and deep conversations with us but we have placed him in this sacred place that makes it difficult to connect with him.

A perfect example of the sort of relationship we need to have was the one King David had with God. Remember that this was even before the coming of Christ. David understood things about God that many of us are still struggling with today.

Reading through the Psalms, you can’t help but marvel at such a relationship. David had a piece of God’s heart. That’s incredible, but I also think it was because of the candid conversations they had. David told God everything. He withheld nothing. How I wish I could be as honest with God.

But he also knew his place. He didn’t take the relationship for granted. He praised and exalted his God. Oh, what love!

 

A hunger to Pray without ceasing 

Sis, God wants to hear from us every day and in every season of our lives. He wants we, his children, to continue to commune with him and there are reasons for this.

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons we have as God’s children. It is our weapon against the enemy. It is a way to gain strength to overcome life’s trials and temptations. A Christian who doesn’t pray is like a car with little or no gas. You can only drive so far without gas.

In the last couple of months, I have realized that prayer is a non-negotiable aspect of our walk with God.

If we truly want to live authentic Christian lives then we need to pray and meditate on God’s word. We need to seek his face and get fresh insight into all he has called us to do.

Apostle Paul understood the severity of a prayerless life when he urged us to pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

Prayer 

Dear Sis, I pray that you move from a place of hunger to satiation in God. That you stretch forth your arms in prayer and you hold onto his arms which are forever open to his children.

I pray that you move beyond the fear and distractions that tell you-you’re not good enough or you never have time. That you experience him like you never have and that he reveals himself to you in beautiful ways.

You are loved, never forget that.