Sweet Hour of Prayer

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

Martin Luther

I recently came across a post on FaceBook about how to pray. In this post, the ACTS method of praying was explained (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). Coming across this post was well timed because it aligned with what my pastor had recently taught about praying (Confession, Adoration, Petition, Intercession, and Thanksgiving). It was also timely because I was in the process of evaluating my prayer life. This self-evaluation forced me to ask myself if my prayers were getting to the Holy of Holy place. Were my prayers reaching the ears of God? Was I truly the prayer warrior that I considered myself to be? Admittedly, there were times that I prayed in which I was tired or sleepy and instead of focusing on God, I allowed myself to be distracted. Assessing and reflecting on my prayer life reminded me of what Craig Groeschel states in his book Dangerous Prayers: "God is too good to speak to with ungrateful familiarity. He is too majestic to casually take for granted." I had to also ask myself if I was being too causal in my prayers? As Christians, it is vitally important that we have alone time with God. It is essential that we talk and engage with Him so that we are able to experience His love for us. Our time with God has to be intentional and purposeful, but most importantly, it has to be led by the Holy Spirit. I have learned that the Holy Spirit is my prayer partner. Praying in the Spirit means that I am communing and talking to Him. The Holy Spirit helps me pray; He brings power to my prayers! Romans 8:26 says: "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

In addition to our alone time with God, it is also beneficial to participate in corporate or group prayer. Every other week, I participate in a church small group with some amazingly wonderful women. Recently, our focus has been on prayer. We discuss why and how we pray and we also pray for each other. Our mornings begin with corporate prayer for each other. I look forward to receiving the morning prayer and the responses throughout the day. Because our meetings are virtual, I have not had the opportunity to meet most of the women personally. However, I feel the sincerity of our prayers bonding us together in a spiritual sisterhood. Prayer not only keeps us connected to God, but it also allows us to connect to each other.

Prayer is a necessity to our relationship with God. It is what keeps us connected to Jesus who is our source of life. Edwin Harvey observed "A day without prayer is a day without blessing, and a life without prayer is a life without power." The sweetest part of my day is the time that I spend in God's presence in prayer, worship, and devotion.