The Prayer Journey // A New Perspective

I feel so vulnerable writing this, inviting you into a part of my life I cherish so dearly. However, I've been asked so often about how I pray- specifically, my "prayer day"- that I thought I'd write a series of posts in hopes that it may inspire you and challenge you to take initiative in being intentional in drawing near to God through prayer.  

This isn't a formula, a guideline, or something you need to strictly adhere to. This is just my life, and what I do. It's not perfect, and please don't feel the need to imitate what I do. Glean ideas and apply them to how it can work for your life. Make it yours, however it works for you.

Before I get into any practicalities, I want to start this first post by clearing up a few misconceptions people have about prayer:

Prayer is not about getting what you want, immediately when you want it.

In our self-centered worlds today, we forget that the world does not revolve around us. It's not about getting things we want, or having God act the way we want Him to. 

I must decrease, He must increase. 

Prayer is not about aligning God's will to ours, but rather asking for our will to be aligned to His. When we have the proper perspective, we open the chambers of Heaven and are able to come into the presence of the King with hearts that are truly open to seeking His will. It's not about things, not about situations- it's about communing with the King of the Universe in a holy, precious, and set-apart way. 

Think of how our prayers would look like in a family setting. What parents want a child who only comes to them when that child wants something? Although those parents are happy to meet that child's needs, they want to hear from that child more than that. They want to hear the child's heart, to know what's going on in his/her life, what he/she is struggling with and what makes his/her heart rejoice. The parents want to be known as more than just "provider"- they want to build a relationship into every area of that child's life. 

Wouldn't the Creator of the Universe, the Father of All, want the same? 

For many people, prayer can seem like an empty ritual that they can't seem to enter into. They hear about how beautiful it can be, how powerful it is, yet they can't seem to engage in it themselves. It feels awkward and void of emotion. For many years, prayer seemed that way to me as well. It wasn't until someone challenged my brother to take prayer to the next level, regardless of what you feel like, that I began to truly enter into prayer in a way I never had before. 

If you want something glorious, it all takes discipline. 

Saints aren't born in seconds, and you don't become an olympic medalist by running your first race. In the same way, prayer warriors aren't formed after just one attempt. It takes discipline, faith, perseverance. Just like in any relationship, you don't become close to someone by only spending five minutes with them once a week. 

Prayer is an invitation to a beautiful journey into the heart of God. 

Instead of viewing prayer as something you know you should do, choose to see it as an invitation. A privilege. A great and holy honor. 

When you begin to see things that way, your self-centered world begins to shift as you realize it's not about us. 

It's all about Him. 

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Pssst.... Just because I'm someone who really loves practical application, I didn't want to end this post without a little personal challenge to you. Do a word search on the word "prayer" and "pray" in Scripture, just to give you some Biblical context and inspiration as you head into this new journey. Write down some of the prayers you find, make them personal, and use them yourself! It's great to read biographies of other Believers who had strong prayer lives, but it's a beautiful thing to find the prayer warriors in Scripture as well!