“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit”  Ephesians 6:18

My prayer life is currently under reconstruction.  It’s not that I’m uncomfortable praying or don’t see the need, it’s just that my focus is lacking and too often I’m just not sure what to pray.  With respect to the former, it appears that I’m not alone in losing my concentration. According to a Microsoft Study, it seems our average attention span has dropped from 12 to 8 seconds.  One second less than a goldfish.  I certainly fit that category in that I start praying and the next thing I know, my mind has wandered to ten other things…then I have to refocus and start again.   With respect to the latter, having learned much about God over the years, I’m at a loss for what to say.  I know that we are commanded to pray and that God desires dialogue with us.  However, what does one say to an all knowing and sovereign God?  He knows what I need and want before I ask and He knows His plans for me, so how are my prayers useful?  Yet to be obedient, I’m to pray.  What’s one to do?  As I struggle, I’m trying pay attention to three aspects of prayer in order to improve my prayer life; attitude towards prayer, attitude during prayer and the faith in prayer.

Attitude towards prayer is so important.  Allowing “brain fog”, lack of energy and quandaries regarding what should be said are no excuse for inhibiting prayer time.  In order to persevere, I look to Christ as my model.   If we review the accounts of His life in the gospels, we see that He valued His time in prayer as it maintained His communion with the Father.  Luke 6:12 tells us that He went to a mountain and prayed all night.  It’s that important.  When you think about it, how many relationships can you maintain without communication of some sort…verbal or written.  Why should it be any different with God?  It’s not.  Consequently, as we consider Christ’s model for us, we can also layer on the instruction provided in scripture :  “Pray without ceasing” (Thessalonians 5:17); “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6); and “devote yourselves to prayer” (Colossians 4:2).  These are but a few of the scriptures on prayer, yet they are consistent with other passages in that they encourage us to commit everything to prayer and to pray at all times.  We’re to pray for: our needs, strength, wisdom, forgiveness, protection, our families, other Christians, our leaders, our enemies and those who are sick and imprisoned.  This is not an exhaustive list, but provides plenty of topics to cover in our time with God… especially when you add in that we are to spend time glorifying God and offering our prayers of thanksgiving as well.   When we understand the necessity of prayer and the issues that we need to bring before God, it’s much easier to implement a healthy prayer life.

Attitude in prayer is just as important.  One of my favorite verses regarding prayer is 2 Chronicles 7:14  “…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  Our attitude as we come to pray is to be one of humility…understanding that everything we have comes from God and our being is sustained by Him.  Part of that humility is confessing our sin and turning from it.  Further we are to:  seek God’s will above our own (1 John 5:14);  pray “without anger or deceit” (2 Timothy 2:8);  and pray with right motives (James 4:3).   When we come to Him in this way, we receive what we need (1 John 5:14-15) and are able to glorify God for His goodness (Psalm 50:15).

Finally, we are admonished to pray in faith (James 1:6 and James 5:15).  When we do, it is prayer that believes in the promises of God; it is prayer of hope…having seen God work in the past and expecting Him to respond to us again in love; it is a prayer that remembers that as we pray, the Holy Spirit understands our weakness and is interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:26).  The prayer of faith is an expectant prayer; one that anticipates a result that is for our good and for God’s glory.  Sometimes God provides exactly what was requested, sometimes it is something different, but it always fulfills the need of those involved and is consistent with God’s perfect will for us.  Understanding this concept allows us to be content and glorify our God no matter what He provides.

Prayer is as vital to our souls as air is to our body…we can’t afford to deprive our soul of communion with God.  When we come before Him, it must be with humility and in a manner that aligns our will with His.  It must also be with boldness and faith knowing that He is near and desires to provide what we need most.  In closing, consider the words of Psalm 145:14-21.

The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.

You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.