Prayer is an act of worship of God, and we pray to Him because He is our God. The purpose of prayer is to serve as our means of communication with God, Whom we respect. God speaks to us through His revealed will in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we, in turn, speak to God through prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). That is why it is essential for Christians to have a prayer life and fight for it amid our tendencies to be busy with our daily schedules. If we make time for work, family, studies, and other areas of our lives, surely we can and should make time for God, Who owns everything in the universe in the first place, even our time.
Father in heaven, thank You for giving us the privilege in Christ to come before Your throne of grace and speak to You not just as our God Whom we revere, but also as our heavenly Father Who loves us. Give me the grace always to have the discipline to fight for my prayer time with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Why a Deep Prayer Life Matters
A deep prayer life matters because, as mentioned before, prayer is our way of communicating with God. Just as in any relationship, communication is essential. The quality of our prayer life with God, whether superficial or deep, would also affect the quality of our relationship with Him. For example, compare the two sample prayers given below:
Father in heaven, I pray You will keep me safe and sound as I go to work today. I am also asking You for a new car so that I can get to work more conveniently. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy that allowed me to wake up today. Give me the grace to honor You by working with excellence today. I have been going through some challenges at work. Help me, Lord, and give me the wisdom and understanding to get through it. My commute to work has also been challenging lately. I want You to bless me with a car or transportation to help me accomplish my work. In the end, Lord, may I glorify You today and be faithful in all my ways. Let Your will be done. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
The second prayer is more profound than the first one. It is not the length of the second sample that makes it a deep prayer; instead, it is the heart behind it. You can see the heart of feeling gratitude toward God, being vulnerable and humble before God about one’s shortcomings, asking Him in faith as His child, and longing to glorify Him. These responses stem from a heart that the Holy Spirit has changed (Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.). Such a heart, present in anyone who is a new creation, longs and values its relationship with God. Ultimately, we pray because it is about our connection with the Almighty. Because we are in such a bond, we want a heart that is not superficial but deep. So, we make sure to pray with spirit and depth.
How to Deepen Your Prayer Life
In (Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.), Jesus teaches us not to pray in order to make a good impression of ourselves in public but to pray in secret, by which we will get our reward from God. The return we get from this is not some object given for praying in secret. The reward that Jesus was referring to is our intimacy with God. While there is nothing wrong with praying in public if our heart’s motive is to intercede, our greatest reward when we pray alone and in secret is God Himself and being able to have intimacy with Him.
How to Deepen Your Prayer Life
Intimacy with God is what makes a deep spiritual life.
Steps You Can Take to Have a Deeper Prayer Life
Having a deep prayer life is not something that a believer automatically has. It is an area of our Christian life that we all must cultivate and take responsibility for. Below are some action steps you can take to cultivate a deeper prayer life. Note that these points are not necessarily in order.
1. Make time to pray
You won’t be able to deepen your prayer if you don’t pray or have the time to pray. That is commonly one of the things that Christians struggle with, regardless of how long they have been in the faith. Remember that it is not God Who should make time for us, but we need to make time for God. Indeed, it is hard; however, we can ask God for the grace to be disciplined enough to set aside time for prayer (Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.).
How to Deepen Your Prayer Life
2. Read the Word
Intimacy with any other person begins as we get to know the person more and more. The same goes for God. We grow more comfortable with God as we come to know more and more about Him. As we get to know God better, it stirs up zeal and passion for Him. For example, in your prayers, you have that heart always to glorify God’s name because you have seen His majesty and splendor in the Scriptures. The Bible is always essential for a deep prayer life (Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.).
How to Deepen Your Prayer Life
3. Remember that it is about relationship
When we pray to God, it is not transactional communication; we just come to God and ask for what we need. He is not a genie. Instead, prayer is a relationship. Let’s say a person is shocked by something bad that has happened and only prays with the words, “Lord, I need You.” This is already considered deep. Why? It’s because it stems from a relationship of dependence and humility before God.
4. Ask God for the grace to develop your deeper prayer life
Indeed, developing a deeper prayer life and even the discipline to keep one’s prayer time with God consistently can be a challenge. That is why doing this should not be based solely on our strength and determination. God wants us to come to Him and ask Him for the grace we need to have a deeper prayer life with Him (Hebrews 4:16). God provides all by grace.
Heavenly Father, thank You because despite being sinners, we are blessed to be in a relationship with You because You gave Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. May I grow in intimacy with You and have a deeper prayer life by always making time to pray and renewing my mind with Your Word. Show me more of Your glory and splendor, Father, that I may always be in awe of You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Pursuing a deeper prayer life or intimacy with God would benefit not only God but us as well. God is our greatest portion, which shall never be taken away from us. Prayer is essential in our Christian life, and the disciples themselves asked Jesus how to pray. Of the many things they could ask Jesus concerning how to do something, it is the Gospels that emphasize prayer. We will never go wrong pursuing a deeper prayer life.