Astonishing Prayer

To close out our time in our study, let’s get practical. We have talked about valuing the access we have to God, the power and potential at work in speaking to Him. We have reflected on two incredible examples from scripture as to what Jesus envisioned when He called us to be prayerful. But how do we put these thoughts into practice and develop a fruitful, deeply relational prayer life? Here are a few practical tips gleaned from Lead With Prayer:The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders. ¹

1. Pray the Bible

Do you ever find yourself starting to pray — to speak to the God of the universe — and you pause because you are not sure what to say? Maybe you speak somewhat mindless sayings like “God bless so-and-so,” “Lord, be with us…,” or “Father, thank you for this day” without thinking much into the essence of your words. These are not wrongful sayings by any means (and you know this) but you find them to be lacking in depth.

If you find yourself resonating with this experience, Pastor John Piper suggests a helpful strategy to infuse your prayer life with meaning and substance is to pray the scriptures. For instance, you could read this passage:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ 

Then, using this scripture, you could pray:  “God, I want to walk in step with Your will and way. Keep me from the paths of the wicked and guard my mind against temptation. Remind me to fill my mind with Your Word so that I meditate on the scriptures daily. I, too, want to live blessed.”

2. Set Physical Reminders

Because of the way our brains operate, physical reminders can be incredibly effective in reminding us to pray. Here are a few examples of possible reminders:

• The moment before you eat your first bite of a meal.

• The final moments before going to sleep.

• The physical craving of hunger during a fast.

• The minute before you open your laptop or click on an app.

• The moment you park your car in a parking lot.

The list could easily go on! Try designating one of these physical actions as your life’s queue to speak to the Father.

3. Plan Around Prayer

Do you ever find yourself running out of time to pray? Perhaps you intend to seek God in the morning or evening, but only if there is time. Then your phone vibrates, that random chore suddenly becomes important and demands your attention, you get hungry, your workout goes long, or you get interrupted. It’s as if you can count on these distractions to derail you from the one habit that is essential.

A consistent trait of impactful prayerful leaders is to schedule responsibilities around prayer rather than prayer around responsibilities.

Try blocking a segment of your morning, lunchtime, commute, or off-day for the intentional practice of prayer. Make this moment sacred and, if possible, leave your phone behind to seek God in this window of time.

4. Speak to God About Everything

Another habit of prayerful leaders is to practice ongoing prayer. “Ring God in the morning and don’t hang up the phone,” says one praying leader.² The life-changing idea here is that you can bring anything to the Lord in prayer. We are not limited to life’s most profound or difficult moments. We can speak to God about anything and everything (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6).

Try praying throughout the day. Allow anything and everything to prompt a prayer, even if it is only a sentence or two. There are many examples in scripture of very short prayers (Numbers 12:13; Psalm 51:10; Luke 17:5; 18:13; 23:46; Matthew 14:30; 15:25).

We are confident these practical tips will help you develop a more robust, intentional, heartfelt life of prayer, however ultimately, prayer must be motivated not by obligation but by inclination.

—

Lord, we pray today not because we are supposed to pray but because we want to speak to You. Place reminders in our lives–people, moments, and even things–to prompt us to seek You. We know this is a priceless gift. Help us to never take the blessing that it is to speak to You for granted.

___

¹Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World‑Changing Leaders (Nashville: FaithWords, 2024).
²Skoog, Greer, and Doolittle, 44.