- Keep it Simple and Focused.
This may require you to remember that prayer and intimacy with God is essential for life and ministry. Settle the issue that this is as important as eating and sleeping and set your heart to be a person who is intimate with God in prayer. (Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.)
- Keep it Based on the Word
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly I can turn my prayer time into a pity party or just let my mind wonder into silly imaginations and see my prayer time wasted. By constantly returning to the promises of God and biblical prayers I keep my prayer life flowing toward God, powerful and healthy. I love to use the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew for a backbone structure for my prayers, or the prayers of Paul to refine and add content to my prayer. (Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.)
- Get Alone with God
Jesus taught that when we pray, we should do so in secret before God, not in public so that we’re seen by others. One of the weaknesses in the Church today is that we have abandoned this practice of getting alone with God to devote ourselves to prayer. Create a space for yourself that has no phone and has a door that locks. (Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…)
- Set Aside Time.
This may seem obvious, but prayer truly requires time, often because it is difficult for most of us to enter into a holy conversation with a Person we cannot touch or see face-to-face. There are millions of other tasks we could be doing, but despite your busyness, make a concerted effort to spend ten minutes with God several times each day. After you have established this rhythm, you can increase it to fifteen, and so on, until you are comfortably carving out enough time for God. (Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. )
- Cultivate and Enter into Silence.
Silence fosters solitude, which naturally draws our souls heavenward. We have already talked about silencing your technology; now we must quiet our hearts and mind. It’s vital to make sure you will not be interrupted during your time with the Lord, so tell your family or coworkers that you do not want to be disturbed (unless it’s urgent). Silence is the space where God speaks to us, so we begin our conversation by listening to Him. (Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.)
- Share it with Your Friends
Find support for your prayer life by speaking with those people who understand and value intimate prayer. We want to find and cultivate the faith and support we need to be true people of prayer. Who do you know who truly walks with God? Invite them to meet with you for a thirty-minute time of prayer. If you are truly encouraged by their presence and prayers, then do it regularly. There is a big difference between leading a prayer meeting and having a great time praying with another brother or sister who is passionate about God. (Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”)
- Learn to Rest in His Provision.
Prayer is never about earning what you need from God. Prayer is first and foremost fellowship, worship, intimacy and partnership with God. Some of your best times in prayer will be more like a love letter than a board meeting; more like listening to your best friend than ordering fast food. Your Father is passionate about forming you, providing for you and being your friend. (John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.)