How to Develop the Habit of Prayer

There’s no doubt: prayer does not come naturally. It is something that we all need to strive for. If we are not careful, we might slowly come to a point where our conscience does not bother us anymore when we fail to pray. For this reason, I would like to share with you some tips that we can use to develop the habit of prayer.

 

 

1. Pray before everything else.

The Bible shows us that most of God’s servants are morning people. They always make it a point to pray in the morning. Psalms 88:13 tells us, “But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.”

 It is very easy to forget to pray to God because of our busy schedule. Instead of saying “I have a lot of things to do that I don’t have time to pray,” we must say, “I have a lot of things to do that I need to pray.”

Praying in the morning shows our PRIORITY in life. Before seeking earthly things, we need to seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), and we can do that through prayer.

Before you get out of bed, we need to bring our hands together and bend our knees. Pray to God before anything else and this will set the tone for the rest of the day.

2. Never eat your meal without praying.

We have been taught when we are still young that we need to pray before eating our meal. However, as we grow older, we tend to forget this fundamental habit. Make it a point that you don’t eat your meal unless you say a prayer.

Since eating a meal is already a habit, we can have a better chance of developing the habit of prayer when we do it together with eating.

3. Avoid distractions.

When we pray, we need to focus on God. We need to give our 100% attention to God. Distractions come in different forms. This may include our smartphones, television, books, and even sleepiness.

If you want to develop the habit of prayer, you need to eliminate all possible distractions. When you do that, you can concentrate more on God and your prayer.

4. Seek the support of others.

Having the support of your family, spouse, and friends can have a significant impact on your prayer life. We tend to gain more motivation when we do something together. If you have prayer partners or groups, then it would be easier for you to establish a more consistent prayer habit.

5. Keep a prayer journal.

 

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Photo Credit: Unsplash

 

Saying a prayer is good, but sometimes it is better to write down your prayers. This is very useful since you can actually read what you prayed for. Remember the story of King Hezekiah? When he received the letter of his enemy, he spread it before God and prayed for protection.

 Though not a letter of threat, we can still write our prayers to God and spread it before His throne of grace. There are times that we tend to be more sincere with our prayers when we write it down.

6. Do a 30-day challenge.

There’s no doubt that developing a habit of prayer can be challenging. You can gain motivation by having a method to measure your progress. In this case, starting a 30-day prayer challenge can help you develop a short-term goal for long-term changes.

Set a new goal of praying. When you hit that goal, increase the level of difficulty. For example, from 5 minutes of praying in one week, you can increase it to 10 minutes for the next week until you hit your goal. The important thing is that you gain progress though slowly, at least it is steady and sure.

7. Have a prayerful attitude.

The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:16-18). However, this does not mean that we should pray without a pause. It only means that we should have a prayerful attitude. God is interested in what we have to say. God is interested even about the smallest details in our lives.

 The best thing about prayer is that we can always do it, anytime, anywhere. We can pray silently whenever we have the opportunity. When we see someone in need, we can pray in our thoughts. When we achieve success in life, we can pray and thank God. When we encounter problems, we can simply pray and place it in God’s hands.

Pray as often as you could. It does not have to be long. It can be as sweet as a three-word sentence. As long as you are doing it from the heart, God will listen to you.

Developing a habit of prayer is crucial when it comes to developing an intimate relationship with God. It is the highest privilege given to man to come before the throne of the God of this entire universe. It is so powerful that it can entirely change our lives. With all these in mind, we must strive hard to develop a more consistent and powerful habit of prayer.

You can develop the habit of prayer

recite-1ocm2dc.pngIn a world full of distractions, developing a consistent and faithful habit of prayer can be difficult, but it is NOT impossible. God grants us the ability to talk to Him, and we don’t even have to set an appointment. With this in mind, it is critical that we take advantage of this gift from God.

There is an endless list of things to pray for. We can NEVER run out of things that we can bring up and share to God.

The only problem is, “Are we willing to put in the time and energy to pray to God?”

You can develop the habit of prayer. Don’t let Satan, anyone or even yourself deceive you that you can’t do it. Our salvation depends on the type of relationship we have with God, and it is important that we strengthen that relationship with prayer.

There are a lot of benefits that you can reap from praying. It will ultimately change your life not just today, but also during the life to come!

 

2 thoughts on “How to Develop the Habit of Prayer

  1. Pingback: This Is Why We Must Be Thankful For The Small Things In Life | Becoming Christians

  2. Pingback: 20 Most Surprising Lessons from Psalm 91 You Probably Never Heard Of | Becoming Christians

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