“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,in a dry and weary land where there is no water”. Psalm 63:1
Recently, I read a book titled “The Necessity of Prayer” by E.M. Bounds and realized my prayer life needed a makeover. As a believer in Christ for many years, it seemed my prayers had become too routine, too dry, too rushed, and not top priority. A line early in the book struck me…“Faith is kept alive by prayer”.
Do you feel your Christian walk is lacking in energy and not influencing those around you?
Is doubt or insecurity creeping into your thoughts?
Are you losing your sense of peace?
Or, maybe, you are feeling your prayers aren’t being answered so why bother.
The answer lies in lack of faith due to poor praying habits.
Simply put, personal prayer is a regular meeting time with God to diligently seek Him and to invite His presence into your life. It can occur anytime of the day, in any location, and as often as possible. It can last a few minutes or continue for hours. It needs to be a quiet place, a place of solitude. Consider God your soul-friend and converse with Him by asking questions, offering praise & thanksgiving, requesting His help, and confessing & repenting sins. And, then, most importantly, allow yourself to be silent and wait for Him (to speak, to move, to lead).
Did you notice … be silent and wait for Him?
Yep, this is the hard part for me. To remain silent and patiently wait is not easy for me. Life is busy, interruptions are frequent, and I’m a take charge kind of gal. Can you relate? I believe a “Do Not Disturb” sign may be in order. Maybe this will keep others out of my quiet time AND keep ME from going ahead and moving on without Him.
Keeping faith alive and active occurs during the discipline of praying. Making this an everyday, all day habit is basically training to hear His voice. He promises to draw closer, to teach His ways, to restore souls, to share His purposes & plans, to provide rest, and much more.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1
I want to hear God speak. I plan to be silent & wait so as not to miss Him.
Michele
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him”. Psalm 62:5
