Prayer. It's so simple, yet it's probably the hardest part of the Christian life. At least for me. It's easy to say a quick thank you or make a small request throughout the day. But I still struggle to set aside a place and time each day to really enter into God's presence.
To be completely honest, I actually dread it.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that I have the ability to talk to God anytime, anywhere. I like knowing that He wants me to talk to Him and that He'll speak to me. That is why those random moments throughout the day are so easy for me. But something in me resists going in my room, ignoring every distraction, and just praying.
A few times in the last two weeks or so, I've pushed past that resistance. Now that I have, I finally understand why it's so hard for me to do regularly.
I don't think I'm good at it. And I hate doing things I'm not good at.
I've read the Bible verses. I've read the stories of biblical heroes and other great men and women of God who prayed. I've seen prayer work in my own life and in the lives of others. I've seen my prayers answered. I've read multiple Christian books about prayer. I've even written and led small group lessons about prayer. Somehow, I still manage to feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing when I try to have my own prayer time.
I don't think I'm the only one. (At least I hope I'm not alone in this.)
Today, I have started a journey. I challenge you to join me. I am asking God to teach me to pray. I'm making the commitment to set time aside specifically for prayer -- a minimum of half an hour every day in May. I have two main goals for this. The first is to finally form a habit of daily prayer time. The second is to really understand persistence in prayer.
Are you taking the challenge? What commitment are you making for this month? What do you hope to learn or understand better by the end of this challenge?
 |
| My prayer wall where I keep reminders of people, promises, dreams, and ministries I want to pray for |
No comments:
Post a Comment