Part I – The Prayer Series (By Nancy McFadyen)
Most people, when asked about their prayer life, reply with a sheepish grin, “it’s not as good as it could be” or “I don’t pray nearly enough”. I have to admit that my own prayer life seems pretty anemic at times. Have you ever wondered what is it about prayer that makes it so difficult”? Why is it that our best intentions, so noble and determined, fizzle so quickly into prayerlessness? If you are anything like me, you understand prayer is important and you begin with great zeal and determination. Then, it quickly turns into a time of daydreaming. An element of self-condemnation creeps in, along with feelings of defeat. Some of us give up after a few tries. There is no question that prayer is a battle.
Why is developing a prayer life so challenging? I believe that one of the answers is found in this scripture; “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” I Peter 5:8 & 9. I believe that prayer is so vital and so foundational in our spiritual life that it is the number one oppositional strategy of the enemy. As a result he will throw any and every obstacle across our path… anything that brings discouragement, defeat, and confusion. If a person doesn’t understand that, their prayer experience will leave them utterly bewildered.
A second reason for prayerlessness has to do with our human nature and our tendency to resist obedience. In Romans (7:21-25) Paul tells us that the things we ought to do, we don’t, and the things we shouldn’t do, we do. Our sinful nature has a strong tendency to want to do things on our own terms and without anyone’s help. Praying has to do with humbling oneself and depending on our Maker. When we pray, there is a dying to self that takes place, a letting go of that “old nature”. That doesn’t always feel very good. However, whenever we take a step to die to self, we come closer to Jesus. The old self dies, but the new inner man comes alive by the Holy Spirit.
So now that we understand a little better why it is difficult to establish a good prayer life; 1) powerful spiritual resistance, and 2) strong fleshly resistance, the question is, how do we overcome it?
I have discovered one of the secrets to a healthy prayer life and I want to share it with you. But first I have to warn you. It is not very pretty and it is not very appealing. Yet, it is what it is. It appears to me that one of the most prevalent ways we overcome prayerlessness is by going through pain, suffering and difficulty with an attitude of being teachable. Usually we don’t have to go looking too hard for difficulty. Alas, that is the tool God often uses to teach us to pray. It is in our pain that we find the motivation to cry out to Him. When we are hurting we will pray daily, hourly, and even minute by minute. Thus we cultivate a “habit of prayer”, a habit of going to the Father with all of our needs. A ‘discipline’ is established that becomes vital to our spiritual life. We are learning to be utterly dependent upon our Creator, which naturally leads to intimacy with Him. It isn’t easy but the rewards are wonderfully rich. So the next time you are going through hardship, remember this; among other things, God is teaching you to pray.
There are other ways to learn to pray without tribulation if we will just make the effort and understand the
importance. It has to do with drawing strength from God. There are many days I simply cannot pray. If at first I spend time in worship or read the scriptures, then the Holy Spirit comes and empowers me to pray. I cannot build a prayer life without time in the scriptures and I cannot understand the scriptures if I don’t pray. The scriptures show us what and how to pray; they build our faith and empower us; they help us to get our heart right. We learn how to meditate, pray psalms, stand on truth, and express thanks and praise by simply having time in the scriptures.
The third way I have been helped and strengthened in my prayer life is also the most powerful way—it is this –making time to pray with other believers on a regular basis. I cannot stress this enough; having a ‘prayer partner’ or meeting with a prayer group is the most encouraging and faith building activity I can possibly do. To watch prayers get answered is not the only wonderful result; the rich relationships that build overtime when people pray together is amazing, and the personal growth that occurs is remarkable. We are missing out on so much if we do not have someone to pray with. I encourage you to pray with your friends, family, or small group members often. It will change your life.
A healthy prayer life leads us into an adventure close to our Fathers’ beating heart. We will bear good spiritual fruit… of which there is no greater joy. We will hear His still, small, penetrating, powerful Voice, and then, we are never the same. He has become our most intimate friend, one whom we depend on through all of the storms of life, the one who we will spend eternity with.
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