"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers" (Ephesians 6:18).
As my good friend, Fil Anderson, likes to say, "There are as many ways to pray as there are moments in the day." I wish I would have heard that when I was a new Christian. I have been following Jesus for nearly 33 years now, and I have always found prayer to be the most challenging of all the spiritual disciplines in my life. But what has helped me most in recent years is the discovery that prayer is not limited to a few, specific methods that are unique to my particular denominational tradition. In fact, I have found that the more that my "prayer portfolio" has expanded, the more freedom, depth and joy I have experienced in my walk with Christ. This has also helped me to more readily embrace the Apostle Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Again, to quote Fil, I have found it much more do-able to "pray always" when I am better equipped to "pray all ways."
If you are interested in expanding your "prayer portfolio," I would encourage you to experiment with a few of the recommended resources that are available as attachments at the bottom of this page. As you do, I pray that you will be encouraged, as I have been, to "pray as you can, not as you can't" (thanks, Fil!).
Oh, one more thing. I just want to urge you to remember that prayer is not intended to be a religious ritual that we dutifully fulfill in order to try and demonstrate our own righteousness before an angry, distant deity. On the contrary, as we come to know God the Father personally through faith in God the Son, we find that we are not on our own when it comes to this life of prayer. God the Spirit is helping us at all times, giving us both the desire and the capacity to pray. And in those moments when we feel completely unable to pray, we can rest in the assurance that "the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26). In the process, we grow to understand that prayer is simply a matter of resting in the gracious embrace of Almighty God, the Lover of our souls, the One who longs to communicate with us "face to face, as a man speaks with his friend" (Exodus 33:11). And somehow, in the midst of this unfolding friendship with God, we are mysteriously and progressively changed, molded, shaped and transformed in such a way that others can actually see in us an imperfect yet increasingly authentic reflection of the very face of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18). |
Attachments (10)
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Journaling (Broyles).doc - on Mar 10, 2010 7:49 AM by David Williams (version 1)
27k
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Lectio Divina (short form).doc - on Mar 4, 2010 1:21 PM by David Williams (version 1)
42k
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Lord's Prayer.ppt - on Mar 4, 2010 1:21 PM by David Williams (version 1)
94k
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Maranatha Midday Prayers.pdf - on Mar 4, 2010 1:21 PM by David Williams (version 1)
72k
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Prayer of Examen (Ignatius.MarsHill).doc - on Mar 4, 2010 1:21 PM by David Williams (version 1)
35k
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Prayerwalking.doc - on Mar 4, 2010 1:21 PM by David Williams (version 1)
22k
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Stations of the Cross.ppt - on Mar 4, 2010 1:22 PM by David Williams (version 1)
4021k
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The Breastplate of St. Patrick.doc - on Mar 4, 2010 1:22 PM by David Williams (version 1)
28k
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The Prayer of St. Francis.doc - on Mar 4, 2010 1:22 PM by David Williams (version 1)
30k
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Worship Without Words (A Season of Silence).ppt - on Mar 4, 2010 1:22 PM by David Williams (version 1)
2949k
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