It’s interesting that when I get quiet before the Lord I can think of all kinds of things to pray, whether it’s people or situations or nations. It’s in that quietness that I really hear the heart of God as to whom and what I am to be praying. The more often I pray the more intense and specific I am in those prayers, and the longer I can pray. There was a time when I thought I would never be able to pray for 30 minutes let alone an hour or more, but the more I pray the easier it is to pray.   Guess that old saying, “practice makes perfect” actually works, meaning that a person gets better at whatever they practice. So, to increase your prayer life, just start praying. Sometimes it helps to begin with a list of people or situations and asking God how He wants you to pray for them.

Most people would agree that prayer matters and that prayer is necessary. So why is it so many people don’t spend more time in prayer? Why does it seem so hard to take time to pray?  Shouldn’t prayer be important enough to us to be “first” on our to-do list?  Prayer should be our first response to any and every situation. Why do we make it so hard?  It should be more normal and easier to speak with our Heavenly Father than with anyone else.

Personally I think that finding time to pray is only hard when we fail to recognize the importance of prayer; or when we think our prayers have failed; or when we fail realize that God wants to spend time with us.   It’s so easy to become distracted and impatient when we don’t see the answers come as we want them. We should be fully convinced that just because we don’t “see” the answers to our prayers immediately it doesn’t give us the okay to quit praying. The Bible explicitly tells us in Galatians 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13 to not be weary in well doing. Prayer is a good thing to do.

Prayer is more than lifting our family and friends to the Lord for blessings.   It’s praying God’s Will into their lives. It’s praying that their (spiritual) eyes of understanding be enlightened to the Word of God (Ephesians 1:18). We also see in Colossians 1:9-12 that we can pray for people to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that they may walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. God qualified us in Jesus’  death, burial, and resurrection. Hallelujah!

I learned a long time ago that in order for me to pray the Word I have to be in the Word. I need to read it, learn it, and speak it, and not just when I want to pray. The Word must be my life. Another thing I’ve learned is when making prayer a priority in my life, God’s love and compassion rises up within me for others.

When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane he’d asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him. (Mark 14:37). The disciples kept falling asleep and His question was “could you not watch one hour?” Ever been there? I have.

Who do we pray for? What do we pray for? How often do we pray? How long should we pray? These are questions people are always asking; always seeking the right answer. I’m convinced that when we make the decision to pray, the answers to these questions will come to us. The answers may vary from person to person because some people are strictly morning people and some are not. Some of us might have more time during the day. The thing to remember is to not try to be like someone else in our prayer time, but to be who we are. It is not about comparison, or competition with others, or repetition, it’s about loving God enough to love others by praying for them. It’s about doing our part no matter how small we think it is. No prayer is insignificant when spoken in earnest heartfelt love and according to the Word of God. It just might be your prayer that brings someone to Christ. Prayer is important. First John 5:14-15 tells us that when we ask (pray) according to His will, He hears us; and we know that if He hears us, whatever we ask, we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. God always honors His Word.

We make time for what is important to us.  How important is prayer to you?

Make prayer a daily priority.