5 Ways to Experience a Powerful Prayer Life
Confession. When I’m desperate for solace from the hustle and bustle of life, I cry out to God more than usual. Yet when all is going my way, I can become stagnant in my prayer life and push aside my need to talk with God throughout the day.
However, He doesn’t want me to wait until I am completely empty of His presence and devoid of His spirit to cry out to Him. God wants my prayers to to be a crucial part of my day and to long to connect with Him despite my situation. A healthy prayer life is cornerstone for a deep and life-changing relationship with God!
My prayers need to be second-nature, a life-line and anchor for my soul.
Through the grace poured out for us at the cross, God invites us to experience the joy of regular communication with Him through prayer.
It’s in those quiet moments when we can connect with Him on a personal level and get to know His character. In fellowship with Him, we can lay down our burdens as He rescues us from the struggles of this life. And it’s where we experience true heart transformation as we learn to submit to His perfect will.
Having a deep connection with God through prayer wasn’t meant to be difficult or hard. You can start, anytime and anywhere, to experience the beauty of a deep prayer life. There’s no prerequisite or criteria we have to meet. Simply start talking with God, and share your heart with Him.
5 Ways to Experience a Powerful Prayer Life
Be honest with God, always.
He already knows your heart, your mind and your desires, so be 100% honest with Him. You don’t have to guard your words and only tell Him what you think He wants to hear.
He can shoulder our burdens, our cries and our anger. To know Him and experience Him more, let your guard down and be vulnerable. (Psalm 143:1)
Have an attitude of gratitude.
Thank Him for everything! On some days, when the sun is shining, the kids are behaving and all is right with the world, that’s easy to do.
But in the muck and mire of life, in the dark places of grief and sorrow, being thankful can be painful. On some days, it may seem there is nothing to be thankful for. Yet in the darkness, thank Him that He is holy, perfect and graciously loved you when you were drowning in the depths of sin. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Be yourself and don’t be intimidated!
You don’t have to be a Bible scholar or even a “good person” to pray. Your words don’t have to be fancy or clever. Simply be yourself and talk with Him the way you would your best friend. A humbled heart matters more than smooth talk or wise words. (Matthew 6:5)
Listen to Him.
Are you quick to speak in your time with God, trying to fill up the silence with your words and thoughts? Yet He longs for us to rest in Him, be still and listen.
Being in a relationship with anyone involves a mutual ebb and flow in conversation, just as your time with Him. So let your words be few and your heart be open. Be ready to hear from the One True God as He sheds light on His plan for your life.
You may not hear Him with words, but you can trust He still speaks and guides His children. Be ready. (Psalm 50:7)
Commit to praying for others and really do it.
“I’m praying for you” has become a catch-phrase of the Christian community. It’s something we say and mean, yet often forget to do. To help you remember who you are praying for, carry a small notebook. You can easily jot down who you need to pray for and reference it later.
Keeping a prayer journal is another simple way to record your prayers and praises. As you experience God through prayer, your journal will be a keepsake of how God has moved in your life. (James 5:16)
Examine Your Heart
If you realize you’ve strayed from or need to start experiencing a powerful prayer life, there’s no better time like the present to start.
Simply start communicating with God again, no matter how long its been. Trust that His grace will meet you where you are and that He’s waiting for you with open arms!
Do you want a practical way to jump start your prayer life?
Let The Prayer Warrior’s Toolkit be your road map to a deeper and more meaningful prayer life. With over 50+ prayer tips and templates, you’ll discover how pray powerful war room prayers in all seasons of life!
Sarah Ann,
I am visiting from Holley’s link up. I am grateful for these reminders to listen more than I talk and keep the conversation open throughout the day. I am new in my salvation and Jesus feels very close for me, but I don’t always “hear” His voice. So thanks for the encouragement!
I wrote a post on my blog about saying those overused words, “I’m praying for you,” and then forgetting to actually do it. Here’s the link if you are interested. Lovely to hang out today!
http://www.onedaylighter.com/dont-say-it-if-you-dont-mean-it/
I am so glad you stopped by! I’m so thankful this encouraged you in your faith! I look forward to checking out your post!
Thank you for sharing this. It is great advice. I love all 5 ways.
I’m so glad you found these helpful! I hope you are doing well!
Great tips, especially the red lights. Genius! 🙂
I struggle with the listening part, but keep trying every day. Gotta strengthen those muscles!
Hahaa! I am so not a genius but I love something practical I can do to grow in my relationship with the Lord.
Great tips Sarah Ann. I stop to pray right when I hear a prayer request. If I just say I’m going to pray, it’s too easy to forget. So, I stop what I’m doing and say a quiet prayer immediately. I also liked your reminder to be honest before God. Thanks so much for linking up at CMB.
Great idea, Deb! I will have to start doing that right away, too.
Found you through SITS. This post is absolutely beautiful and encouraging. It took me some time to be grateful for the hard times, but I now thank Him everyday for them. Without the trying times we may not have the good ones.
Thank you so much! It’s true that once the storms of our lives clear and we see God’s hand upon the situation, we can express gratitude like never before. So glad you found me via #SITS!
Love your post and it’s a reminder that prayer is not a crisis management technique (or at least not ONLY a crisis management technique)!
Thanks, Paula! It can be a hard lesson to learn!!
Sarah Ann, thank you. I know that I have been guilty of only sincerely praying when I felt desperate or in need. Now, I find that I need to kneel down and that helps me develop great sincerity, plus I work to always have a prayer in my heart. I love the stop sign idea. There are so many of those moments in our lives that could be spent in prayer. I also love to pray when we are grateful. I have been working on that one, and it really makes a difference!
Hi! I’m a new blogger (as of two days ago!) and ran across your blog. This was a much needed post after the day I had with my very, strong-willed child (who is only 2!). Thanks for the reminder to pray continually!
Congrats on your blog, Erin! I completely understand strong-willed children! I have two of them and prayer is the ONLY thing that gets me through!
I learned in one of the sermons in our local Church that prayer is an intercommunication. Meaning it is not just a one way communication. We are talking to our creator and God is responding to us.
Very insightful article! Thanks for sharing.
Listening to the Lord is just as important as praying and often so overlooked!