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Wednesday, January 3, 2018

We Pray Wednesday: Commitment to Prayer





HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We have all probably heard this many times in the past couple days and have thought to ourselves that it doesn’t feel much different than the last one.  This is probably true; however, this is a time that most of us look back and make goals for things that we would like to change in the new year.  Whether it be work, church, family, or personal, we make “resolutions” to change things in our lives.  If we are honest with ourselves, most of these “resolutions” don’t last for a significant amount of time before we go back to the ways things used to be.  Rather than make resolutions, let us make commitments to God concerning our spiritual well-being.  The great thing about God is that there is always the opportunity to start anew - God always offers us a new day and is long suffering with us, no matter what has gone before.
One area of spiritual well-being that we should commit to God is to talk to Him daily.  Talking to God seems like it should be as easy as falling off a log, but often it can feel more like climbing a cliff. In order to keep this commitment to Him, here are 10 tips to help.
1. Choose a specific place to pray away from distractions so you can concentrate. Ringing phones and crying children will sabotage your "quiet time" before it gets started.
2. Pray at the same time every day, if at all possible. Make it part of your regular routine and it will become habit. Write it into your schedule and then treat it just like a daily appointment.
3. Pray out loud. Many people can pray under their breath or in their minds for long periods and still maintain intensity, but for most of us it's a quick ticket to dreamland. When we pray out loud we have to form intelligent sentences. We have to concentrate more on what we're praying about.
4. Keep a note pad handy so you can jot down different things that come to mind while you're before the Lord. Sometimes you'll get great ideas totally unrelated to what you've been praying about. If you jot them down you can quickly get back to the topic at hand without being too distracted.
5. Make a list to keep track of your prayer needs. This can be done several ways. Prayer needs can be listed by category like "Church," "Family," or "Unsaved friends." Or they may be listed by the days of the week. Each day you pray for a different set of needs.
6. Redeem time for praying out of unused corners of your schedule. Those who have to drive to work can use the time talking with the Lord instead of screaming at traffic (just don't close your eyes!). Busy homemakers can combine prayer with housework, especially if the task doesn't require a lot of concentration. Joggers, swimmers and cyclists can use their workout time for prayer.
7. Change the pace during your prayer time. Include praise, thanksgiving and singing as well as petition. Spend some of your time reflecting on the Scripture, meditating on it and digesting its meaning.
8. Keep a prayer journal. Keep track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. Leave a space to jot down the answer when it comes. This will help you to keep alert to God's answer so you can thank Him promptly. Sometimes prayer answers come in the back door and you don't want them to slip by you.
9. Pray with someone else. Though some prayers can only be said in solitude, there will be times when you'll want to join hearts with another person in prayer. If you commit to a prayer meeting on a regular basis, the accountability can really help build consistency.
10. Pray one-sentence prayers. If the thought of laboring over a topic wears you out, pray short, sincere prayers instead. A sentence or two may be all that's needed to exhaust the topic for you for the time being. If so, just move on to the next item without feeling guilty for your brevity.

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