| "Prayer Life"
By Miss Linda Anderson with input from Godly friends. If you are intrigued at the thought of a personal prayer life and are wondering how you might cultivate one, I offer here, a few ideas to ponder; a few starting points for your consideration. The important first step is just to START PRAYING. Give yourself permission to go to God without worrying about your presentation. Just be you! Just jump in! Start a conversation with God knowing that he wants to hear what you have to say. He won't care if your prayer rambles or isn't grammatically perfect. He loves you. He's interested in you, personally, as you are. Consider experimenting with different forms of prayer until you become aware of the style that best matches your personality and temperament. Developing a unique, truly connected relationship with the God who loves you may be enhanced by experimenting with different prayer disciplines. You may find yourself most attuned to God when you pray for the needs of others that you know, or for the world at large. You may feel closest to God when praying with a congregation, in a small group, or in a prayer service. The presence of like-minded people lifting their joys and petitions to God is often powerful and filled with the Holy Spirit. You may feel God reaching out to you when you are meditating on His amazing creation. Being along with God in a quiet, beautiful place, may feed your emotional and spiritual needs and all you need to do is BE WITH GOD. Prayer is more than words. We experience images and feelings as we pray. You might ask God for the meaning of these images and feelings, and ponder them as part of your prayer time. God is infinitely more creative than we can imagine. What we seek and what we receive goes beyond what we can understand. Some of you may be more comfortable with guidelines and structure. There are many acronyms to help you stay on track. One is the "ACTS" list representing - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. (Yes, these are rules. Some folks like them.) - Set aside some time in a quiet place. (If you live alone, consider your ability to access “quiet” as a blessing.) Calm your mind and breathing. - Praise God for who He is, our almighty powerful and grace-giving Father. - Tell Him about your regrets and sins and pledge to do better. - Thank Him for all the help and blessings He has bestowed on you in the past. - Tell God what is on your mind. Share your concerns for yourself and others. - Ask God about his plan for your life and for His guidance. - Be still. I have been fortunate to have a few Godly friends and mentors who have influenced my prayer life and who have helped me find my personal prayer style. You may find it helpful to seek out a Godly friend who you believe has developed a sound, disciplined prayer life. Do you have a sense that God may use this person to support you as you develop your own prayer life? Read some books on prayer. Find others that are on the same journey and share information, thoughts and experiences. God has invited us to a relationship that is filled with love, excitement, challenges, freedom and peace. To paraphrase Pastor Lyle Mook, “God is not a reluctant giver. Pray to take hold of His willingness to give.” Start praying today. Discover what God has for you. Paul in a letter to a church at Philippi writes: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understand will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Recommended reading:
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