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How to: Intentional prayer



A constant struggle for me in my relationship with God is prayer. Of course I do love to pray and know that it is such an important aspect but in time I just really got into a habit of praying into a certain routine and started to dislike it more and more. I wanted to change but didn’t really know how to go about it as I did not know in which direction I wanted to go. Today, I want to share some of the things a learned along this road with you guys. By all means I am NOT perfect in prayer! Please remember that it is ok not to be perfect, because who needs God when you’re already perfect? You are His precious and worthy child and He will listen to your prayers and care for you always.


So, let me help you, the one reading this and maybe struggling just like me, to make sure you put all your efforts into talking to your heavenly Father like he deserves.


1. Pray with someone else

This can be anyone that you really trust: a parent, best friend, spouse or someone else. I was not really used to this before I met Teunis and we also didn’t do this when we first started dating. It actually took quite some time before we first prayed together as he wasn’t used to do this just like I wasn’t used to it either and we both felt veerrrry weird and self-conscious when praying out loud, let alone uncover your soul in front of someone else. However, this already changed so much for me as it makes you feel so encouraged to pray together with someone else you love an trust and to seek the face of God together. This definitely encouraged in my prayer journey.


2. However, do not forget to have moment between just you and God

There came a point in our relationship that we would just always together and while this doesn’t necessarily sound wrong it is also good to still have a private relationship with God. With this I don’t mean that you should have secrets between you and God or anything like that, but look at it like this: Could you build a relationship with someone and get to know someone very good if there was always someone else mixed in the conversation. Exactly, that is very hard to do! The same goes for working on your relationship with the Lord. Sometimes it is just good to take your moment with Him alone to make sure He is still a priority above anyone else.


3. Ask people to pray for you

Another thing that was really encouraging for me. When I started to admit towards Teunis and my parents that I sometimes found praying really difficult or I got distracted easily, they prayed for me to have more intentional time and concentration for God. Plus, how amazing is it to know that people you love are thinking about you in their prayer. That honestly warms my heart even when writing this!


4. Pray to God about praying the right way

This might sound a bit silly, but it is absolutely a great thing to do. Admit to God that your prayers may not always be of the best quality, with the greatest concentration and with the best ‘content’ and then ask Him if He can help you. With this, you can be 100% certain that God is willing to help you! Jesus’ disciples did the same thing:


“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” – Luke 11:1

5. Keep a prayer journal

I really believe that God has been putting this on my heart as I just randomly bought a cute notebook in the store and then and there I decided that I would use it as a prayer journal. I didn’t know how I wanted to structure this exactly but in the meantime I think I have found something that works for me now. I work by four key-points every day:

- Things I am grateful for

- People to pray for

- How God has worked in my life today

- ‘Things’ to pray for


When I am actually in prayer, I always add on things or forget some things (YES, even when I write it down, I can be that forgetful), but it does give me a solid base for my prayers. It also makes me more intentional on praying for other people which I find super important to do as well. In general, it has made me feel so much happier and even more important, it made me feel very close to God. And guys, I cannot emphasis enough on how incredibly amazing this feels. I would encourage everyone to start a prayer journal for more intentional prayers!


And that concludes my post on all the tips I have for you on more intentional prayer-time. Again, please do not forget that you are valued and made worthy by Jesus’ sacrifice and you can ALWAYS go to God, no matter how ashamed or disconnected you feel. He does not judge you on the quality of your prayers! I hope this post has helped you and I will be praying for any of you who are going to a difficult time in their prayer journey!


Love,


Marina

5 weergaven

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