If you are feeling somewhat discouraged by your
disinclination to follow Jesus’ advice on prayer, let me share with you a way
of overcoming this reluctance. I warn you it will take a little discipline, but
the rewards will far outweigh the effort.
The secret is to begin your prayer time with meditation. I
learnt this in George Muller’s writings from
many years ago, who said that the practice of meditating on scripture before
beginning his prayer time transformed his relationship with the lord. ‘For the
first ten years of my Christian life,’ he wrote, ‘my habit was to wash and
dress myself, and then turn to prayer.’ But often he felt his prayer time was
tedious and boring. Then, as he changed his approach to prayer by first reading
the word of God and meditating on it,
he found his heart would leap towards prayer almost of its own accord.
He would speak to God about the things he had discovered in
the Word and never again did he find prayer wearisome.
Those who must have discovered this secret also were the Puritans who lived in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Richard Baxter advocated this method; John Owen
(chaplain to Oliver Cromwell) made the same recommendation, and so did Matthew
Henry, the famous Bible commentator.
‘….in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6).
Permit me now to lay this challenge before you: as Jesus
expects us to pray, and to pray often, are you prepared to look at your prayer
life and make a fresh evaluation of it? Jesus prayed much. Do you want to be
like him? Then discipline yourself to be a person of prayer. One thing is sure: after
hearing, reading, and studying God’s word, prayer is the next most important
spiritual exercise.
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God bless you.
I remain your humble professional life coach, mentor
/counselor, inspired by the holy-spirit.
Samuel C.A. James
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