“Our spirits, like our bodies, have requirements for healthy growth, and we “stay in shape” spiritually by praying like Jesus prayed. Throughout the course of his earthly ministry, we find him praying regularly, privately, sincerely, and specifically, and when we uphold habits such as these, our prayers lives see great gains. God’s part of the prayer equation is being willing and able to hear and respond to our prayers; being faithful to certain prayer disciplines is our part of the deal.” Bill Hybels
Bill in his book “Too Busy Not To Pray” encourages us to ‘show up’ in prayer and he encourages us to pray like Jesus. In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus gave instructions to his disciples (both then and now) on the importance and practice of prayer.
Jesus’ prayer principles:
Pray regularly.
Jesus said, ‘When you pray…’ not ‘if you pray…’ (Would you say that regular prayer is a given in your life these days?)
Pray privately.
God is not impressed by public displays of piety. ‘Go into your room…’ Where do you go to be out of reach and out of touch?
Pray sincerely.
Pray from the heart. God doesn’t want us to pile up impressive phrases.
– How are you doing?
Pray specifically.
Let your specific request be known to the Father. Phil 4:6-7 What is the one bold prayer request you are compelled to make known to God today?
The key is to practice praying – and so practice praying regularly, privately, sincerely and specifically.
– How is your prayer life? Are you still connected?
BLESSINGS
Reference: “Too Busy Not To Pray” Bill Hybels