The Process of Prayer
Red Skies at Night…
What is Prayer?
A loaded question and one that will take an eternity to truly understand. But, for now and reduced down like a fine reduction sauce, prayer is simply talking to God. It takes place in the secret place. Jesus taught us to “go into the secret place and pray to your Father in Heaven who sees in secret.” It can be anywhere! Everywhere! An actual closet will work, but prayer can take place in your car, your office (my personal favorite), a hospital room, even while at work…
My great grandmother was a special lady. She was from Tuscany in Italy and immigrated to Oakland California via New York. She never learned the English language and partially because of that, she would constantly pray in Italian and probably in Latin as well. Her prayers were mostly due to a deep love for the Lord and His Presence. She once watched over me while my parents took a trip and I remember her constantly praying. She prayed without ceasing as the Bible states and all these years later, I now know why she always seemed to be at peace. That’s the power of prayer!
The following is what I call the Process of Prayer. It’s an acronym that I use as a guideline to follow in my prayer time. At some point, I’ll put this onto the Breath of Life Broadcast and talk about it, but until then, try to put it into practice. And very simply yet honestly talk to God. Then guess what? You’re praying. Many many blessings!
Pastor Paul.
P = Prepare. Prepare your heart. It's important not to just rush into prayer unless it's one of those spontaneous or 911 types which is good too. Take a moment to think about what you are about to do. Sometimes I just spend the whole time thanking God, asking nothing in return.
R = Repent. Repent means to turn and think differently. This is where we turn away from sin by confessing anything that is weighing heavy upon our heart.
A = Attitude. Approach the throne room with the right Attitude. This is where we activate our faith and actually believe that God is truly listening and ready to act.
Y = Yield. Yielding yourself or “your-self” is the key to practicing God's presence. The Apostle Paul told us that the flesh and the spirit are at odds with each other. Does this mean that we have both within us? Yes, and they meet on the battleground of our third part, the soul. Choosing to keep Jesus’ words makes all the difference in the world. (See Mathew chapter 5,6 & 7 to find life's most difficult climb and challenge your-self.)
E = Expect. Learn to Expect an encounter by faith. Hebrews 11:6 “... Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.”
R = Rewards = Reaping the Rewards is the payoff. As the above scripture explains God rewards those who seek him. See Psalm 103.
Happy Pursuit!
