How to Improve Your Prayer Life
By Chuck Fenwick
Is prayer important?
Sometimes incorporating prayer into your regular routine can be a challenge. Praying may not come naturally to you – and that is okay.
Praying might be more instinctive when you’re going through a rough time. You might turn to God for what you need or some advice when you're struggling. This is totally normal.
But creating a time for prayer each day is essential. If you’re striving to build a relationship with God, this requires communication.
We all have friends or family in our life. In order for these relationships to grow and flourish, we have to talk to these people, spend time with them, and get to know them more deeply.
This applies to God, too. If we want to pursue a relationship with God and grow as a Christ follower, prayer is essential! Prayer is our way to spend time with God and talk one-on-one.
We want to share the good things and the bad things with God. We want to mourn with God, celebrate with God, and share mundane life experiences with God, too. But how?
Once you’ve determined what it is you love, make it a priority. You don’t have to spend hours and hours each week doing what you love! If it’s reading, try waking up 15 minutes early or staying up 15 minutes later a few times a week. Make it a priority, that’s what it means to intentionally enjoy life.
A friend of mine enjoys hiking. Now, he can’t go hiking every single day, but he does make this a priority. He typically goes on a hike by himself and even spends time photographing nature while he is out. This is a worshipful experience for him. Spending time in nature is a way he is able to connect with God and enjoy life in an intentional way.
Growing Your Prayer Routine
We all know that if you want to get stronger muscles you have to exercise and lift weights to achieve that goal. Getting into a regular prayer routine is similar.
If we want to grow our prayer life, we must exercise our “prayer muscle,” and we do this by starting small.
So, we have a challenge for you. It’s short and simple – and we know it will help you grow your prayer life!
7 Day Prayer Challenge
We have a 7 day prayer challenge. It’s only 7 minutes a day for 7 days. Just 7 minutes a day for one week! You can do this. Let’s break it down.
2 Minutes
First, set a timer on your phone for 2 minutes. You will spend these first 2 minutes praying. BUT, you can’t pray for yourself. Spend these 2 minutes of prayer focusing on others or thanking God for the specific things you’re thankful for today.
3 Minutes
Now, set a timer for 3 minutes. You will spend these 3 minutes reading scripture. If you’re not sure where to start, begin with the book of Luke or Acts. These are both in the New Testament! You don’t have to memorize the words or anything, just spend 3 minutes reading.
2 Minutes
Last, set a timer for 2 minutes again. You will spend your last 2 minutes writing or journaling. Use these 2 minutes to journal about something other than yourself! You can write down prayers, gratitudes, positive things that have happened that day, or anything! Just journal for 2 whole minutes.
Alright, those are the terms for the 7 day prayer challenge. Are you up for it?
Keep us updated!
If you’d like to watch me break this down in a video, you can watch it here. And, if you try this challenge I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text and let me know what this experience was like for you.