How To Pray More Often

Prayer is our way of communicating with God. God talks to us through His Word, the Bible (All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we talk to God through prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Prayer is not just us simply talking to God, but also us communing with God in His presence before His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and remaining devoted to our heavenly Father.

Father in heaven, just as I always spend time with my family and friends and spend most of my day at work or school, may I also spend more time with You and pray more often. May I always depend on You in every moment of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Why Pray More Often?

We should pray more often because we are utterly dependent on God for everything. Romans 11:36 says that from God, through God, and to God are all things. This means that God is the source, the means, and the end goal of all things. Everything is about God and His glory. It also shows that God is self-sufficient. We depend on God and rely on Him for everything, even our life (John 1:4-5), but God does not depend on anyone. That is why we should pray more often because whether we are about to take an exam, travel to work, cook our breakfast, pursue an endeavor, or anything else we do in life, we do it by depending on God.

That truth is further supported in the Gospel. In Jesus’ ministry, where He performed different mind-blowing miracles, the disciples didn’t ask Jesus how to do those miracles. They first asked Jesus how to pray (Luke 11:1-13). That shows us the importance of prayer. Prayer is where we ask God for what we need as we hallow and glorify His name (And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:2).

We can also see evidence of this in the life of Jesus whenever He would withdraw to desolate places to pray. In Luke 5:12-16, we see Jesus encounter a leper and heal him. The crowd gathered, but Jesus withdrew to a desolate place to pray. In Matthew 14:23, we see Jesus going to the mountain to pray after dismissing the crowds (the five thousand that He fed) and sending His disciples to the sea ahead of Him. Luke 6:12 also shows us how Jesus continuously prayed on the mountain, and we see how He wakes up early to pray in Mark 1:35. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12)(And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Mark 1:35)

 

We see that Jesus prays often because Jesus, in His humanity, was dependent on the Father. We can see this when He was praying in the garden before being betrayed by Judas (Matthew 26:36-46). That does not mean that Jesus is weak. He is omnipotent, for He is God Himself. It only shows us the humanity of Christ, being one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God. If Christ, in His humanity, prayed often and depended on the Father, shouldn’t we do the same? If Christ is whom we ought to follow, then we also should follow His lifestyle of prayer.

Father in heaven, give us the grace to follow not just the character of Christ but also His prayer life and always be dependent on the Father. As I strive to walk in His ways, I pray that I shall also continuously pray often. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How Can I Start To Pray More Often?

We can start to pray more often by setting schedules for ourselves. For example, you can schedule a specific time in the morning, afternoon, evening, and other time slots within your day to withdraw to a particular place where you can concentrate and pray to God. These prayer moments do not have to last for hours. Setting a time to go to a quiet place to pray to God, talk to Him, cry out to Him, and thank Him is already a good start. As you start this habit, you can begin with just 5 minutes or 10 minutes of prayer until you can pray for longer. In the end, it is a matter of your relationship with God.

Also, prayer does not always have to be scheduled. Spontaneously, if you feel like praying, you can pray to God. Let’s say that you are at work and just finished a very important meeting that took all your energy and mental strength. You can go to a place and pray to God, thanking Him and asking Him for more strength. Don’t forget that the heart of why we pray is because we are always dependent on God.

Holy Spirit, help me develop a lifestyle of praying often to You, not out of religious devotion, but out of dependence on You. Give me the grace to fight for my prayer time with You, and may I always set aside time to pray. In moments where I need You, may I take those moments to a quiet place and come before You in humility and prayer. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Prayer is done out of one’s relationship with God. Therefore, when done out of relationship and worship, it becomes something that we always delight in doing, not something we do out of obligation. It is a privilege to come before God’s throne of grace and ask Him for the grace and mercy that we need. This is all because of the finished work of Christ on the cross.