1 Minute Daily Devotions
May 30, 2008
Help Me With My Prayer Life
"Pray, then, in this way..." - Matthew 6:9
People often ask me questions about prayer. Jesus' disciples asked Him how to pray, for they saw that He often got away to pray. Here is a summary of what Jesus said to do:
Address God as Father. Through Jesus, we can know God personally as our Father - the embodiment of the ideal dad.
Praise. Praise His name and character traits. It makes our problems seem small when we remember how great God is.
Pray for His will to be done. This begins with us but carries over to praying for others.
Pray for daily needs. God wants to meet our needs, but don't confuse needs and wants.
Confess your sins. Ask God's forgiveness and ask God's help in forgiving others who wrong you.
Ask for protection and strength in the face of temptation and evil.
Jesus teaches the basics on prayer. Find a quiet spot and give it a try. And, remember, prayer life gets better with practice.
Comments on this Devotion
From Jerry on May 30th:
Prayer needs to be a very important item in a christians arsenal. Prayer doesn't just need to be for asking God for something we would like to have but it can be used to praise God for who he is and to thank him for what he is in our lives. Some might call this "sucking up" but it is what God told us to do when we come before him in prayer. Prayer is how we gain power or access to the presence of God. Some want this power so they can gain power themselves in the eyes of others. Myself I just want to tell him that I love him and I want to please him. If I have his approval then "I don't care if others approve of me or not", this sound good but we really don't mean this. This might not sound right but we worry too much of what others think of us when their opinion doesn't make us or break us in the eyes of God. I know being liked by others is just human desire but our fellow man didn't die for our sins. I want to be able to pray and know that God hears me, and I cant do this if I live a life of a hypocrite, this is why I strive to to serve the Lord as much as I do and I do pray that he is pleased.
God bless all and have a good day.
From Janice on May 30th:
Thanks, Jerry, for your thoughtful comment. I have been at times convicted of the sin of worrying too much about what people will think instead of what God will think. God has to be the ultimate consideration. No where in the Bible does God indicate He wants to be in second place.
Also, I would like for prayer to be the equivalent of my first language so that when something happens a prayer is the automatic response instead of what I do after considering how I or some other person might fix a problem. Like the devotion mentions about "prayer life gets better with practice" I think to pray first comes with practice.
From Janice on May 30th:
This is off topic but I just wanted to say thanks to Melanie for her suggestion of Evidence as a good music resource to use when doing chores. Also, thanks Austin, for your suggestion of the Third Day CD. My husband likes some rock so I know he can appreciate hearing that while I get some work done. Now, I just have to decide on Jerry's suggestion, the Gaithers. I keep seeing the Gaither's Homecoming CDs on sale and wonder if you suggest that or something else in particular, Jerry?
From Ashleigh on May 30th:
This is definitely an awesome devotion i know that i need help with my prayer life. I want to get closer to God and i realize that i need to read my Bible and pray more often. Thank you for the encouragement!!!!
From Amber on Jun 15th:
I pray, and I pray often- however, I do not like to pray out loud(like at church or in a group of people) I feel like I do not use the right words. I get all tongue tied and it feels like I forget how to speak.
Does that make me a baby christian?