According to Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline, prayer is the central act God uses to transform us.
This is Felicia Ferguson with Christian Mix 106, helping you build faith for the journey.
Did you know prayer is more than just asking God for something you need? According to Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline, prayer is the central act God uses to transform us. In real prayer as it is intended to be, we learn to want what God wants for us, we learn to love what he loves, and to want to see happen what he wants to see happen here on earth, in our relationships, and in the hearts of others.
A deep prayer life is what sets a disciple apart from a simple believer. A believer will toss up a prayer at a desperation sometimes but a disciple will spend time in prayer searching for what the father wants. They will long to pray the father’s prayers. To hear the heartbeat of God for his children.
Do you think becoming a prayer warrior of that level is only reserved for the likes of monks and preachers. The Martin Luthers and John Wesleys of the kingdom? Don’t let Satan lie to you. If you want a deeper prayer life, or even if you’re just curious about what that might look like, all it takes is asking God for the grace and the desire to spend time with him in prayer, and then do it.
Set aside your own concerns (even if they’re valid and in need of divine intervention) and open your heart to hear the prayers God wants prayed. Look at the way Jesus taught on how to pray if you don’t know where to start. Then look into the Old Testament. Read the prayers of Elijah and Moses and Hannah and Daniel. Pattern your prayers after theirs. If there’s a name in there, replace it with yours or your loved ones who you’re praying for—it’s not sacrilegious, it’s training. Those models will teach your brain and your heart the pattern of prayer that impacts the father’s heart and the world around us.
If those are still a bit intimidating, start here. I heard a pastor preach one time that the word pray is an acronym. The P stands for praise, the R for repent, the A ask for others, and the Y for asking for yourself. So open with praise. What has God done that is worthy of praise? (Hint, there’s a lot!) Then repent for any sins you may have committed lately. Did you raise your voice at your kids? Flip off the guy who cut you off in traffic? Gossip about a coworker or neighbor? Now, Ask. But first ask for others. Lift up your community, your neighborhood, even the country. Ask God to draw people into a closer relationship with him, because that is his heart. Remember the scripture says God is not slow to act, but patient, wanting all to be saved. And finally, after you’ve done all that, then ask for yourself. You might find that what you actually pray for is very different from your initial need.
Now, you may think this takes a lot of time. You’re right, it does. Maybe even ten minutes. But that’s the discipline part of prayer. And you can do it!
This is Felicia Ferguson, thanks for listening to Christian Mix 106.
