I really, really, really stink at day-to-day spiritual disciplines.
I had dinner with my dear friend Mitch Wright earlier this week, and as we were eating, I shared that for some reason, I thought that when I became a pastor, when I entered the ministry, when I got to Bible college, that my spiritual life would all of a sudden fall into place. I always thought that I would just magically develop this awesome relationship with God and that amazing things would happen and I would just have this magical spiritual clarity.
Well, folks, unfortunately, that's not the case. It's really sad to admit, but there are times in my life where I haven't taken some real time to just sit and talk one-on-one with God for days, even weeks, sad to admit. There are some periods in my life where I feel I've only picked up my Bible to find a Scripture or to study like a textbook, never to read and personally reflect on regarding my own life.
But I really believe that spiritual disciplines are super important for our own personal spiritual growth and development. And for me, at least, the easiest and quickest spiritual discipline to get started with is usually prayer. I mean, think about how much time you spend each day by yourself in your car, at home, or wherever. It becomes easy for me to find time if I'm simply aware that I have it. Prayer is definitely a great way to establish a relationship with God and I believe is the most valuable thing you can do. I wish I had a better prayer life.
Even though I'm not always great at it, I want to help you develop a prayer life as well. Allow me to humbly pass on a few things I've discovered that have really helped my prayer life (and hopefully yours as well):
1. Recognize that you can pray anywhere at any time. Have you ever been totally stressed out about a situation or something happening in your life, thought about it all day, had it totally ruin (or at least hamper) your day, and then out of nowhere remember that you could pray about it and give it to God and just feel stupid? I know I've felt that. I've had stuff totally stressing me out, and then just had this moment of clarity where I remember, "I can pray about this!" Never forget that you can pray anywhere, anytime. It doesn't have to be in a church or by your bedside; praying in the car on your way to work is great. Sometimes, it's great just to pray a quick one minute prayer for something as you think of it, or just say a few one minute prayers throughout the day. You could even do something like that at work, maybe as you see a co-worker struggling or are just reminded of a need that should be prayed for. Basically, all I'm trying to say is that you should never forget that the power of prayer is accessible to you 24/7/365, no matter where you happen to be at that moment.
2. Talk to God about everything, not just "prayer topics." I think there's this feeling that some stuff is just sort of "off limits" or "stupid" to talk about with God (maybe like what you did that day, or about this girl you like... whatever). I used to be one of those people. But as I grow and mature, I'm realizing that's not the case. I truly believe that God wants to be invited into every aspect of our lives, and that includes stuff seemingly mundane or silly as our day-to-day activities or that person we're crushing on. There are no "prayer topics" and "not prayer topics." There are only "prayer topics." Anything you're going through, thinking about, or experiencing is a "prayer topic." Is your heart lying with a particular issue right now? You can totally pray about that. Prayer isn't just reserved for stuff that we deem to be especially "holy" or "sacred."
3. Give God time to speak. This is the part of prayer I stink at the most and probably need to make the most improvement on, but I truly believe this is an important aspect of prayer. It's hard for me, given the different nature of the human-to-God relationship, but I'm trying to approach my time with God as I would with a great friend. In great relationships, one person doesn't always speak... they dialogue together. Think of the last great, in-depth conversation you had with someone. Mine was a few weeks ago with my best friend Ami. I shared with her about something I'm thinking about in my life and she listened. When I asked for her advice, she answered. And after that, she shared about a situation in her life and I listened and then offered my opinion when asked.
Great relationships are like that. There's ebb and flow. Sometimes we speak, sometimes we listen. The same goes with God. Sometimes we need to talk and share. But there are other times where we need to be quiet, listen, and allow God to speak some truth into our lives. It's kind of different (and a little risky-feeling) for me, but I'm learning to ask God questions... to ask for His advice and wisdom. And then, I wait. Sometimes, I feel God responds right away. Sometimes, I feel and hear nothing, and I know I need to just keep praying or keep waiting. Sometimes, it's appropriate just for us to just sit and listen, without saying a word. Bobby Jackson challenged us to do that at our ministry staff retreat, and I believe God had something very important to share with me... and it was something I didn't expect.
4. Find a few things that you're passionate about that you can pray for every day. There's this story in Luke 18:1-8 where Jesus talks about the power of being persistent in our prayers. He talks about a widow who has been hurt by someone, and she comes before this unjust judge to offer her plea that he take action against her adversary. Because this judge is not just, he refuses. But the widow comes back again and again, and the judge eventually grants her the request for justice. Jesus uses this as an example that just as the widow was persistent with the judge, we should be persistent with our prayers before God. In Matthew 7:7-11, we are told to keep asking, seeking, knocking with the prayers that we offer God. I don't know how it works, or why it is this way, but I believe that the Bible tells us that there is something special that accompanies prayer that is persistently offered. Imagine the power we could discover if we would pick a few things, no matter how big or small, and just kept praying about them each day! I think the results could be pretty incredible.
5. Talk to God conversationally, as you would a friend. This has probably helped my prayer life the most, and is probably most closely related with #2 and #3. When I talk conversationally with God, I feel like I do a better job of inviting Him into my life, and I feel like the relationship with God grows more in those moments. As I look on my life as a Christ follower, I think that in my "infancy" years, I had a tendency to look at things in a very transactional, non-relational perspective. That was good to develop the exterior characteristics of a Christ follower, but on the inside, the relational aspect with God wasn't there. It's a challenge daily for me, but talking with God conversationally has helped me to develop that relationship aspect. I know it will for you too. If it helps, imagine like God is sitting in a chair in your room or maybe like you're having a phone conversation with Him. But whatever it takes, talk to God conversationally... there's a lot of great things that can happen from that.
Like I said, I probably need advice on prayer just as much as anyone. But for me, these 5 things have been effective in helping my prayer life and in helping my spiritual life in general. If anything, I hope they're able to serve as a springboard for you to use as you keep cultivating your personal relationship with Jesus!
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