Praying In the New Year
Someone, out there somewhere reading this column, will want to establish a daily prayer vigil with Jesus. You may even make a New Year’s resolution to do so. I would like to help you, encourage you.
Not all New Year’s Resolutions are worthy, but this one is. Establishing such a discipline can be difficult. It is like exercising---easy to begin but difficult to continue. Prayer is more like a marathon than a sprint. In this day of instant pudding, instant coffee, and texting, we expect quick results from our prayers. To use a kitchen metaphor, prayer is more like cooking something in the oven than making a bowl of Ramen noodles.
Here are suggestions from proven prayer warriors. Begin by asking God to help you. Our will can be very weak, especially when developing ongoing difficult disciplines. Ask God to remind you to spend time with Him. “Lord, put ‘signposts’ in my way.”
Let your expectations be realistic. We hear that someone won the lottery because they prayed. Their winning may be true, but it is doubtful God directed it. Jesus did instruct us to ask for our wants and needs, but He answers in accordance with our best interest. And He knows that better than we do.
Establishing a time and place to pray is always helpful. That usually takes some adjustment to our lives. One should not expect to succeed in any discipline without life adjustments. After all, that is the purpose of the discipline.
Often people trying to develop a prayer life are successful for a few days and then experience difficulty. Let me use the “fall off the bicycle” cliché, just get up and try again, and again.
At first you may wonder if God is listening. I assure you the Lord hears every sincere prayer. If when you pray you doubt God is listening, tell Him so, “Lord, are you really listening to me?” I assure you He will not get mad.
Present your needs/problems to God and trust His answer. Pray like this, “Lord, here is my need/want.” Do not pray, ”Lord, here is my need; and here is how I want you to fix it.” God always answers better than we ask.
This week’s column is a bit different, but it is timely. A new year is dawning; and if reading the column helps you find time to spend with God, it will be more than worth the time you have spent reading it.
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