How to Put More Life in Your Prayer Life
What exactly is a prayer-life anyway?
Simply put – it is the private practice of prayer in your life.
So, how’s your prayer life?
Too often the answer is:
- I know I should pray more.
- I just don’t have enough time.
- I feel like my prayers stop at the ceiling.
- I don’t know what to pray.
- I wonder if my prayers matter.
If you’re like me, you want life in your prayer life. You want to have more meaningful prayer more often.
People started praying to God in Genesis 4 – Seth also had a son, and they named him Enosh. At that time, people began to pray to the Lord. v. 26
I sometimes wonder about that time between Garden banishment and the beginning of prayer. Between walking and talking with God and crying out to Him.
Genesis 5 says Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born, and Seth was 105 years old when Enosh was born. 235 years of silence.
We don’t really know what caused them to start praying but people started praying and God heard…
Don’t you love that? God heard!
Look at this promise from Psalm 66:
But God has listened;
He has heard my prayer.
Praise God,
who did not ignore my prayer
or hold back His love from me. v. 19–20
God listens. He hears.
Ways to Put More Life in Your Prayer Life
- Change your attitude – Think of prayer as a “get to” not a “have to” or “should.”
- Ask God to grow and bless your relationship with Him through prayer – Pray about your prayer life. Remember God hears and will not hold back.
- Commit to pray every day – Start small . . . grab your journal and commit to 5 minutes.
- Start with praise and thanksgiving – One sentence thanking God for who He is and what He does.
- Keep it simple – Tell Him what’s on your heart and mind. You don’t need to know theology or use big religious words. In fact, I think it’s better if you don’t. You’re not trying to impress Him you’re praying.
- Pray in the shower – I have a friend who did her confessing and repenting in the shower – and then pictured God washing her sins down the drain. Then she prayed about putting on God’s armor while getting dressed. How cool is that? Something to pray with your little ones.
- Pray Scripture – Open to a Psalm and pray it back to God. Thank Him for a specific promise. Or even pray – “Father, I do believe. Please help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24
- Keep a list of things you want to pray – Have a paper and pen close by and jot down things you want to remember to pray if you don’t have time then. But…you don’t have to wait.
- Stop and pray when you see a need – Pray for a friend or family member, for yourself or even a stranger right away. (As soon as you see a post on social media or pass a stranger in the store. When someone cuts you off in traffic or you see a homeless person on the street . . . pray.)
- Pray with your children – While you’re picking up toys, before a meal, in the car, and when you tuck them in at night. Their simple child-like prayers will bless your heart.
- Pray while you’re doing chores – Pray for your family while doing laundry or cleaning up the kitchen. Sing praise while vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom. It beats grumbling!
- Joy, Junk, and Jesus – 3 simple questions to ask and answer with your family. Questions that will help you grow closer to one another as you pray together and for the good, the bad, and the blessings of life.
I’ve learned so much this month, but these 3 things stand out:
When it comes to your prayer life…
#1 JUST PRAY!
The more I have made prayer my focus, not reading about it or talking about it but actually doing it . . . the more I’ve looked forward to spending time in prayer.
Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18
#2 Be Yourself!
God hears your prayers. He knows your heart. He loves YOU!
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10
#3 Trust God’s Love!
Pray in His will. Pray for His will to be done. You can trust His love for you. He sees the beginning from the end. He wants and knows how to accomplish what is best for your life.
Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:17–19
Four months into The Faith Project! Wow! What a blessed adventure.
If you’d like to see everything connected with this project visit The Faith Project Board on Pinterest.
Deb, I’m so thankful for your emphasis on prayer. My prayer life definitely needs to be continually revived, and I love the way you’ve examined the words “prayer life.”
Blessings to you!
Hey Deb!
Thanks so much for this inspiring post. My prayer life could certainly use a boost. I appreciate how your 10 points are all ways to help us easily weave prayer into our busy day. I’m off to pray in the shower now! :o)
Thanks for hosting and have a blessed weekend.
Love this, Deb! I pray while I make the bed, first thing in the morning. And then more while I walk/jog. And there is a reason prayer is the #1 item on my current blog post! 😉 Thank you for hosting again this week!
((Deb)) What a sweet surprise to see my post featured this morning. You bless me. 🙂 xoxo ~ Prayer…how could we get through life without it? I’m so grateful for an intimate God. I rely so much on that intimacy; so much healing has happened in prayer. Thanks for the faith project and the emphasis you’re placing on prayer, Deb. (And, I love that seasonal heart tree graphic…so pretty.) (((grace upon grace upon grace, my friend))) <3
I love these tips! Great post. Visiting from family, friendship, faith link up 🙂
My prayer life has truly improved since you began posting this series, Deb. I am happy to report that I’m doing many of the things listed here and am looking forward every day to that special quiet time with God.
Blessings, my friend, and thanks!
Great post! I’m including it in my Friday Faves today!
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
What a great post, Deb!
I do some of my best praying in the shower!!
Love this and the practicality of it.
Sharing it all around.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend~
Melanie
Great ideas, Deb. I’ve so enjoyed this part of the Faith Project! 🙂
Deb, I smiled with the suggestion to pray in the shower because it reminded me of a suggestion I have given to young Mamas – pray in the potty! Cuz even if you only get 2 minutes alone in there, God hears it, and if you potty several times a day (;-)) it adds up! lol! Also, for years I have prayed while folding laundry. Each item of clothing would represent each family member!
Wonderful post, my friend!!
Somehow I’d never noticed that part of Genesis that tells how people didn’t start praying until Enosh was born. Thinking about that made me feel sad for those people. I don’t know where I’d be without prayer. I’m so glad that God listens to us. Thank you for these great suggestions prayer.
Ooh, I loved #12! (wink, wink) Seriously, though these are all great tips to help us draw closer to our Father. You bless me every time, Deb!
Deb, when it comes to prayer, it so easy to fall into reading about it and talking about as you pointed out. I have to keep coming back to the basics all the time. I always seem to want some system, some list, some new way to approach it … and the answer is, JUST PRAY! Thanks for the reminder! Blessings!
Deb, thank you for these words on prayer. I find it necessary to tweak things from time to time to keep on keeping on in prayer. Prayer, like so many other things is learned by doing.
Blessings!
Thanks, Deb, for such a real series on prayer. It speaks of your own significant relationship with Him. If we could only remember that we would never NOT communicate with our closest friends and remember Jesus is our BEST friend. With our closest friends, we can share the seemingly trivial or the deepest of thoughts, feelings, joys, and pains. Would He not also be blessed by such? Blessings on your weekend!
This is a beautiful post about prayer. For me I had to start small with walking around my house while I prayed before moving into Scripture reading, devotional, journaling because if I woke and sat down I was falling asleep. Now typically pray 45 minutes to a hour each morning. All started with movement.
Prayer is one of the basic privileges and disciplines of the Christian life, yet also one of the most neglected by many. Thank you so much for sharing this encouragement with us at Grace & Truth!
I’ve enjoyed both of your posts on prayer that I’ve found so far. Looking forward to reading more of your blog. It’s so wonderful to find another encouraging, devotional-type blog. 🙂
Thank you, Amanda! I’m so glad you visited and thankful you stopped to say ‘hello.’ Looking forward to heading over to visit you! Blessings!