The Lord calls us to commune with Him throughout every moment of every day. He patiently and longingly awaits our acceptance of His infinite love and mercy. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
~Prayers of Praise & Thanksgiving
Psalm 100:4-5: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” As believers, we must guard against our human circumstances determining our sincerity of gratitude. In other words, thanking God for this, but not so much for that, marks blurred vision. We regard our earthly needs as more urgent and the heavenly riches as more distant and elusive.
Approaching God with praise and gratitude FIRST shifts our mindset to His glory and reminds us of His faithfulness before we focus on our petitions, needs, or troubles. When we intentionally thank God for His almighty and unfailing goodness first, we acknowledge Him as the source of all blessings; we recognize and accept our utter dependence on Him. Through praising and thanking first, we (either consciously or subconsciously) align our hearts to His will. His Spirit, if we trust Him, will confirm that His promises are certain, affording us confidence to proceed with other prayers.
~Prayers of Petition
Prayers of petition are requests to God and typically include prayers for our own needs as well as prayers for the needs and requests of others.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and petitions with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Our heavenly Father already knows our needs and the desires of our hearts, and we are to pray with faith that He will answer our heart’s desires in His time and according to His will. God only desires that which is best for us and that which draws us nearer to Him; hence, the warning to not be anxious.
In the parable of the widow and the unjust judge in Luke 18:1, our Lord exhorts us to persevere in prayer and not to be discouraged. Fear discourages us and keeps our focus on the who, what, where, and when in the brief life on this broken planet, afraid of what may happen if we live all out for God. Will He lead us to till hard fields and to carry violent crosses? When we pray, we loosen our worldly hunger and cling more tightly, more thirstily, to heavenly nourishing. We are fed by His Bread, quenched by the Living Water, and strengthened to harvest such fields and to shoulder such crosses. We reach outside of finite minds to the infinite goodness of the God who loves us and those for whom we pray. When we trust God with our concerns, we ask Him to manage them; we expectantly believe; we must not aggressively intervene. God always gives His very best to those who leave the choice to Him.
~Contemplative Prayer
Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
Psalm 62:1 “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.”
Contemplative prayer is a practice that focuses on simply being present with God, rather than focusing on specific words, thoughts, or petitions. Contemplative prayer, also known as active stillness, cultivates an inner quiet and contentment while gazing on God or while imaging oneself physically engulfed in His arms. Developing a habit of contemplative prayer opens one’s heart and mind to God in a transformative way, thus decluttering the mind and heart.
Stillness with God is not passive rest, but rather intentionally making room for God to guide and speak. Even within the realm of believers, the world rushes to check off task after task, including spiritual exercises. Contemplative prayer not only includes physical stillness, but also requires stillness of the will, pausing the mind’s race through the to-dos of the day, week, or month. And although such obligations may be praiseworthy and legitimate, these are vainglory absent of God-centeredness. Interior firmness yields emotional balance, a soul that does not vacillate when life pushes and pulls.
Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” The vision of the Lord fighting all my earthly battles for me, while I’m still, almost paralyzes me into stillness so as not to mess with His plans for me. Why would I want to fuss about when He will fight for me, for my life, for my soul, for my victories in His name?
When beginning a practice of contemplative prayer, first ask God to empty the heart and mind of distractions so as to be as fully present as possible with God. Such reflective prayer also teaches us patience while we wait on God to answer other prayers. A practical way to begin the practice of meditation is to be still and silent for two minutes by the clock. Once that two-minute habit of silence and stillness is developed, a longer and richer period of contemplation will likely develop.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.”
Regardless of how you pray or which practice(s) used, the most significant part is your demeanor toward God. In other words, if you desire communion with God and seek Him, He does not make reaching Him too difficult. You can simply begin speaking with Him from your heart. Eventually, our Lord will guide you to a richer, fuller prayer life. The key is to begin as best you can.
