Some time ago, my mum gave me a book on prayer called A praying life by Paul Miller. This is not the sort of book I usually read. I’m happy to read faith-based books and devotional type books but the design and the general impression of the book itself made me feel like this wasn’t the book for me—more self-help looking. Yes, I judged the book by its cover.
Prayer is also something I don’t think should be formulaic. The Bible warns against “vain repetitions” or as the NIV puts it “babbling like the pagans” (Matthew 6:7). This could be why, as Adventist Protestants, we don’t have a very strong tradition of prayer ritual or liturgy (something I appreciate more the older I get is that praying passages of the Bible regularly can be helpful). Personally, prayer is something I’ve struggled with a little. Of course, I pray. But I’ve never found “how to pray” manuals or articles very helpful. Prayer is more visceral for me. I wouldn’t classify myself as a prayer warrior and pray best when I’m under the pump.
All of this considered, it took me quite some time from receiving the book until picking it up again. However, when I started reading it, I was pleasantly surprised.
I was encouraged to start becoming more serious in my prayer life. The author shares many personal stories about situations in his life that have changed with prayer (or how he himself has changed in response to praying about the situations).
The book contained some ideas on systematising prayer so that you could keep track of developments and give praise for the things that prayer changes in your own and other people’s lives. I intend to develop some prayer cards for myself to help keep track of specific prayer points and requests that I have.
I’ve kept a very haphazard journal habit through the years. I often don’t prioritise the habit but when I feel down or am struggling to reflect or make progress on something, I find that writing it down is cathartic and critical in processing it. These journal entries often take the form of prayer, as I don’t expect anyone to read them, but I know God knows what I’m wrestling with. Because God knows us and our thoughts (see 1 Corinthians 2:11).
Last year I started to become more serious about this, adopting a habit called morning pages. I try to spend 15 minutes in the morning to write and reflect on what is happening in my life. It helps me to put things in perspective. It is also nice that it is writing that will never be read by anyone, very different to writing for publication. It is part of my morning routine and my chance to connect with God early in my day.
As Christians, we need prayer in our lives. There are many metaphors and cliches out there about prayer, but I liked this reminder from Miller.
“We don’t need a praying life because that is our duty. That would wear thin quickly. We need time to be with our Father every day because every day our hearts and the hearts of those around us are overgrown with weeds. We need to reflect on our lives and engage God with the condition of our souls and the souls he has entrusted to our care or put in our paths. In a fallen world these things do not come automatically” (p267).
It reminds us that intentionality is important. Ellen White, church founder and prolific writer, had this to say about prayer.
“Cultivate the habit of talking with the Saviour when you are alone, when you are walking, and when you are busy with your daily labour. Let the heart be continually uplifted in silent petition for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. Let every breath be a prayer” (Temperance 135).
Of course, she is only expanding on the apostle Paul’s admonition to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
How can you strengthen your prayer life and cultivate that habit in the busy and noisy world we live in? Let’s commit together to look for opportunities to live a praying life.
