Prayer is a very powerful thing and as Christians, I know we would all love to pray a lot more than we usually do. But with our busy lives, it can be difficult to make time to pray and or be consistent with prayer.
So in this article, we are going to discuss how you can be consistent with prayer. But before we do, you have to understand why we pray and to who we pray.
Who do we pray to?
We pray to God, The Almighty. The creator of all things. In Luke 11, when a disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he taught them to pray to God, The Father. This means that when we pray, we should address the prayer to God.
Now although we pray to God, we pray through Jesus Christ. Because Jesus said in John 14 that no one comes to the Father except through him. This means that if you want to get to God, you have to do it through Jesus Christ, his beloved son.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
John 14:6
So when you pray, pray to God through His Son and our savior Jesus Christ.
Why do we pray?
1. Thanksgiving and worship
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
1 Chronicles 16:34
For His mercy endures forever.
Through prayer, we are able to give thanks to God for all His goodness and favor upon our lives. Through prayer, we are able to show gratitude for all He has done and what he keeps doing, and what He has even planned for us that hasn’t manifested yet.
Through prayer, we are able to worship the Lord and exalt his name. For everything, the Lord has done and he keeps doing for us, there is no way we can express our gratitude to Him except through worshipping him.
You can’t buy God a thank you card. You cant buy him anything to express your gratitude. As a human, all you can do is pray and worship Him. So through prayer, we are able to say thank you to God for everything.
2. Confess our sins and overcome temptations
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
When we pray to God, we are able to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Whenever we commit a sinful act and we regret our actions, it can be difficult to tell others what we have done. Mostly because we don’t want to be judged or we don’t want them to look at us differently.
But it is not the same with God. When you go before him and confess your sins, He will forgive you your sins and also give you the strength to overcome temptations.
3. For guidance and protection
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
When we pray to God we are able to seek his guidance and protection in all our doings. Most of the problems and challenges we face in life are a result of us relying on our own thoughts to make decisions.
But if you pray to God and you dedicate yourself to Him. He will guide you and teach you what is right. He will give you the strength and courage to move forward in life and He will protect you from all evil that surrounds you.
4. For comfort
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
The Bible says that God is our comforter. So when you are going through hard times in life and you turn to him, he will comfort you and give you joy. He will deliver you from your afflictions and give you peace.
So instead of worrying and being crippled with anxiety, go to the Lord in prayer and he will give you peace and calm your heart.
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5. To strengthen our relationship with God
And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”
Ezekiel 2:1
Prayer is a communication with God and as we all know communication is the key to any successful relationship. So if you want a long-lasting relationship with God, then pray, talk to God. Tell him everything. Just as you will talk to someone you are in a relationship with.
Talk to God about everything that goes on in your life. Tell him about that awesome thing that happened at work today. Tell him what happened that made your heart heavy and sad. Tell him what’s on your mind.
And when you talk to God remember that communication is a two-way street. So you stop and listen to him. Listen to him when he speaks to you and you will hear him.
No, you are not going to hear him reply you like having a conversation with someone next to you. But He replies. God can reply to you in a dream. Or he can reply you through someone. He can reply you through something you hear or see. And sometimes he can reply to you by reminding you. So you just have to be patient and listen.
How to be consistent with prayer
Now that we know who we pray to and why we pray to Him, we are going to discuss 4 key tips to help us to be consistent in prayer. In the Bible, it can be seen that Jesus prayed all the time, so as followers of Christ we have to follow in his footsteps and pray without ceasing. ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Make prayer a priority
The first key to a consistent prayer life is to make prayer a priority. That’s it. When something is a priority in your life, you make time for it no matter what. So if you decide that prayer is something very important you need to do every day, it will help you to be consistent with prayer.
Make prayer a part of your daily routine
Everyone has a daily routine. You wake up in the morning and you know exactly what you have to do and what follows and what next. Sometimes you might not even realize you have a routine going on. But if you should pause and think about it w now you will realize that you actually have a morning routine and a nighttime routine.
So however your routine goes, make sure you put prayer in there somewhere. Once you add prayer to your daily routine, you will just do it. It’s just like how brushing your teeth is part of your morning routine. It doesn’t matter what you do every morning, you make sure that brushing your teeth is in there somewhere.
So add prayer to your morning and your nighttime routine and decide that it is important, so no matter what you are going to do it.
Get a quiet space
Get a quiet space where you can pray without any distractions or disturbances. This doesn’t have to be a new place. This can be your bedroom, your office or any place that you are sure you can talk to God without distractions.
One habit I picked up after my first baby, was praying when I’m trying to put her to sleep. Every night before she slept, I had to carry her and walk up and down for like 20 minutes before she would sleep. So I decided that every night that 20 minutes-walk back and forth will be a time to talk to God.
So every night, when it was her bedtime, I would carry her and I will walk up and down praying and by the time I was done, she would be asleep. That was my quiet place. It was at the end of the day, no one was going to disturb me because they knew I was trying to put the baby to sleep. So I used that time to pray.
Pray whenever wherever
Getting a quiet space is important but if you want to be consistent with prayer, then pray whenever and wherever. So wherever you find yourself, say a word of prayer.
When you are at the station waiting for a bus, pray. In the bus, pray. Inline at the coffee shop, pray. At the bank waiting for your turn, pray. Walking home from school or work, pray.
Wherever you find yourself, just pray. Once you start doing this, you will realize that you are praying more every day.
Prayer is a very powerful tool for Christians. Remember, prayer is a way to connect with God and open possibilities for transformation and miracles in your life, as touted by resources like Your Prayer Now. Keep this in mind as you nurture consistency in your prayers. Make it a part of your everyday life. Build a relationship with God and seek his guidance in everything you do.
