Learning to Pray

I read an article the other day by a popular Doctor about how when life gets busy, typically the first thing to go is exercise. He strongly recommended that we cut out some other aspect of our busyness and make time for physical exercise. As a Christian I have found that when my life gets extremely busy (which it always seems to be) the first thing to go is my spiritual exercise of prayer. My communication with God is reduced to quick requests like "Please bless this food" or "Please help my kids to behave and not make me look like the worst parent in the world."

Having been raised as a legalist, I usually cringe when I hear things like "spiritual discipline." But, over the last few weeks God has graciously showed me that it's OK to be a disciplined when it comes to things like prayer and studying His Word. Let me explain, or rather let John Piper explain...

"Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray out of duty? Is it a discipline?

You can call it that. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water."

Piper also gives some helpful suggestions on how to pray.

First, set aside a set time each day, and don’t leave prayer to chance. Second, I suggest you combine it with reading the Bible and that you take what you find in the Bible and turn it into prayer. Third, I suggest that you pray in concentric circles and make the aim of each circle the glory of God. You can work from outside in, or from inside out. For example, pray for your own soul, then for your family, then for your friends and colleagues, then for your church, then for wider ministries and the global mission of Christ, and then for the political leaders of the land. And let what you ask be at least partly shaped by what you just read in the Bible.

Over the last few weeks as I have put these suggestions to action I have found my prayer life to be rewarding, encouraging, refreshing, and freeing. God has shown me unconfessed sin, areas of my life I had not surrendered to him, and has given me great joy as I pray for others. My time studying in the Word has been more productive and my walk with God strengthened. In fact, I am somewhat kicking myself for not having been more disciplined in my prayer life sooner.

I often hear Christians say "All we can do is pray." I've even said it a time of two myself. By God's grace He has opened my eyes to the joy that is found in regularly spending time fellowshipping with Him through prayer. We get to pray! As the words in one my favorite hymns say "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer."

To read or listen to John Piper's full sermon on prayer "Put in the Fire for the Sake of Prayer" click here.