Practicing a Life of Prayer

A while back, a dear friend asked if I would pray for her. My response was as it always is when someone asks for prayers: “Of course.” And I was sincere, because to be trusted with a prayer request is something I consider special, whether it’s a request from a family member, friend, or even a complete stranger. After exchanging prayer requests, giving a few last-minute family updates, and wrapping up our phone conversation, we hung up.    

Seconds later, my toddler called, “Mommy!” 

After addressing his needs, I read a couple of missed text messages. 

Then, I sorted some laundry, made our bed, realized my husband was right—we do have too many decorative pillows on our bed, and eventually made my way into the kitchen to start dinner. 

A few weeks later, my friend texted me to thank me for my prayers and share a few details about how the situation had resolved. 

The minute I read her text, a wave of emotion spilled over me—a rolling wave of guilt, embarrassment, sadness, and shame. Because while my response of “Of course I will pray for you” was sincere, my follow-through was anything but. Her text had prompted me to think about her prayer request for only the second time in two weeks. 

Simply put, I was ashamed. I had failed my friend. I had promised prayers on her behalf and not only did I fail in my follow through but I also never asked her about her situation in the weeks since her request. 

I had let the busyness of life distract me from a regular prayer life. Again.  

Too often, I fail to bring before God the prayers of others and my own prayers—prayers as simple, yet important, as lifting up my husband and children before God. Prayers for my sons’ future wives. Prayers of thanks, prayers of concern, and prayers as short as, “Dear Lord, please equip me for today.”   

And so, I set myself on a journey to discover not only what I truly believe about prayer but also some practical things I can do to practice a life of prayer. From conversations I’ve had with fellow believers, I know this is not a journey I’m on alone. And in those conversations, I learned what they do to practice a regular prayer life. 

The following list of ideas is far from exhaustive, but it’s a start. And sometimes all we need is help with getting started. But before we dive in to the following, I think it’s important to note that the God of the Bible is not a God of lists. Praise Him that He does not require us to check off a list of seven things to do to be a faithful Christian or to earn salvation or to be a good “pray-er.” However, I am someone who values a good brainstorming session and responds well to ideas listed in an organized fashion. And so while the following is in list format, let us never forget that no matter how or when we bring our prayers before God, He promises us that He hears us (1 John 5:14). 

7 Ideas for Practicing a Life of Prayer

1. Explore what Scripture says about prayer. 

In Romans, Paul writes, “So faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ” (10:17). This incredible verse explains that the Word of God, the very words of the Bible you hold in your hands or scroll through on your phone, not only creates but also strengthens our faith. It is my firm belief that the more we learn from God’s Word about God Himself and prayer, the more we will want to employ the incredible gift we’ve been given of prayer, the ability to talk with our heavenly Father on a regular basis. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.” 1 John 5:14

What a command and what a promise! More, of which, is found in Scripture—and what treasures these are when we discover them over and over again the more we read His Word.

2. Pray immediately. 

Because we’re currently potty training our toddler, the song from the Daniel Tiger potty training book we have (which goes, If you have to go potty, stop! and go right away!) keeps going through my head—and I can’t help but think how easily we could adapt this catchy tune to the concept of prayer: If you have a prayer request, stop! and pray right away! For in doing so, we give the busyness of life one less chance to distract us from bringing our prayers before God.  

3. When a friend asks for prayers, ask if you can pray for them—and with them—in the moment.

While practicing this takes me a bit outside my comfort zone, I do believe praying for someone with them is incredibly important and powerful. And, the more I do it, I like to think the more normal it will seem and the less awkward it will become. Because in those moments when someone else has done this for me, it has meant so much. I would like to think I am willing to do the same for others.

4. Talk to God whenever, wherever—in the shower, in the car, or during a workout.

When God commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), He is encouraging us to bring our prayers to Him at any time—whether we’re sitting in a pew at church, kneeling beside our bed, driving to work, or walking on a treadmill, and the list goes on. May we never let our circumstances or location keep us from lifting up our prayers to God.

5. Begin each day with the same prayer(s).

My mother is wise in many ways, but one of the best pieces of advice she’s ever given me is to begin each day with this simple prayer: “Dear Lord, please equip me for today. Amen.” It’s a prayer I have taped to my bathroom mirror because I never know what the day will bring. But I do know that whatever I face I am not facing it alone. And what comfort that gives!

Another little prayer I often find myself praying is Psalm 19:14:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

The struggle to speak words and think thoughts that are acceptable to God is real and constant. In the New Testament Book of James, we are reminded that “no human being can tame the tongue” (3:8).  James chapter 3 is a sobering reminder of how powerful our words can be—whether we say them out loud, text or email them, or publish them online. For “with it [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9). And so, for me personally, Psalm 19:14 has been a wonderful Bible verse to commit to memory and pray often. 

In addition, when we pray, we sometimes might feel like we don’t have the words. May we always remember that we can turn to God’s Word—for praying Scripture is a beautiful way to bring our requests to God and reinforce His Word in our hearts and minds. 

6. Set aside a specific time each day to be in the Word and pray.

On my nightstand is a journal that I use for a million different purposes. But one of those purposes is to collect prayer requests—my own and those of others. As a stay-at-home mom, I often let my very busy toddler and my never-ending list of chores not only take over my day but also make it impossible to remember everything I want to bring before God on a regular basis. And so, recently I’ve begun to try to get in the habit of dedicating the first part of my son’s nap time to personal Bible study and prayer. Because if I am not intentional, I too often think, “I’ll do it later.” But “later” never comes.

7. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a roadmap for prayer.

Several years ago, when I worked as a book editor, I had the privilege of working on a book that changed the way I understand and pray the Lord’s Prayer. The book is called Our Way Home: A Journey Through the Lord’s Prayer, and it is written by Rev. Daniel Paavola who is an incredible storyteller and teacher. In this book, Paavaola not only walks his readers through each of the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer but also helps us discover how we can use the prayer given to us by Jesus Himself as a guide for our personal prayers.

For example, after we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we might pause to give thanks for specific blessings received. Or, after praying, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we might take some time for personal confession and to ask for the power to forgive certain individuals who have sinned against us. 

Too often, as someone who has prayed the Lord’s Prayer thousands of times throughout my lifetime, I breeze through the Lord’s Prayer without allowing the power of this prayer to truly penetrate my heart—or to be roadmap for my own personal prayers.