Growing in Prayer
Always Growing in Prayer
Personal and corporate prayer is an area that I always want to be growing in. I hope the same is true for you.
Over the years I have encountered a few good resources that have helped me move in this direction. I've encountered many others that were not so helpful. For me, anyway.
I've suggested previously that one of the best ways to grow in prayer is simply by praying. The more time we spend in prayer the easier and more natural it becomes.
This is not only true of private prayer. It is also true of praying with others. The more we pray together the more natural it becomes. For those who don’t spend a lot of time praying together with other believers, few things are more uncomfortable than spending extended time together in prayer.
I especially enjoy praying with others who have been walking with the Lord longer than I have and who I know have spent a lot of time in prayer themselves. I am encouraged to hear what they pray about. Often, the content of their prayers causes me to grow. Usually the Lord has put some different things on their heart and mind than He has put on mine. When we pray together our perspective is increased.
In addition to praying alone and praying together I wanted to recommend three resources that have been a great blessing and encouragement to me with the hopes that they will be an encouragement to you in your prayer life. I would also like to invite you to let me know any resources that have blessed you in the area of prayer.
Resources to Grow in Prayer
1. Biblical Prayers and Pray-ers. I have been enriched by studying the prayers and the prayer lives of those people who God Himself regarded as amazing pray-ers. Some of the most amazing pray-ers in the Bible are:
Jesus
Moses
Samuel
Elijah
Daniel
Of course, there are more. These are a great start.
Jesus is (hopefully) an obvious example.
Moses and Samuel were mentioned by name to Jeremiah by God (Jer. 15:1) as two exemplary intercessors. God says He wouldn't relent of His coming judgment even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Him. God is indicating that even His best intercessors wouldn't be able to pray this particular disaster away. Even though the judgment couldn't be averted in Jeremiah's context, it is beneficial to study what made Moses and Samuel such great intercessors before the Lord and which makes them stand out from God’s point of view.
Elijah is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faithful, believing, effective prayer in James 5:16-18. You can read more about Elijah's prayer in 1 Kings 16-18.
God singled out three particular men - Noah, Daniel, and Job - as examples of righteous living to the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 14:14-20). Of these three men, Daniel serves as a gleaming example of a man dedicated to prayer regardless of the cost. His regular routine included praying on his knees three times a day (see Dan. 6:10). Daniel believed the Word of God and prayed in accordance with what God had revealed (Dan. 9:2-23). We made a video about an often forgotten lesson from Daniel, which you may enjoy.
My personal study of the prayer lives of all of these biblical figures above (and many more) eventually resulted in Part 2 of my book on prayer: Faithful in Prayer: Seven Biblical Priorities in Prayer. I’ve written six books (so far). I can honestly say that the most challenging and convicting was the book on prayer. It had a dramatic impact on my own prayer life. I pray it will likewise be a great blessing to you as we learn to pray more like Jesus and the faithful all throughout history.
2. The Prayers of the Apostle Paul. There is a tremendous wealth of information about the prayers, practice, and faithfulness of the Apostle to the Gentiles. I am thankful for the excellent book Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson. It is a great read. We can all learn a lot by prioritizing our prayers the way Paul did.
Carson’s book was what initially encouraged me to expand my own personal study beyond Paul to the other faithful men and women of prayer recorded in Scripture. I am so thankful for this book and the insight it provides into the prayer life and prayer priorities of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
3. Finally, I want to recommend a collection of Puritan prayers: The Valley of Vision. I don't believe there is much value in simply praying prayers written by others. However, there is value in being stretched by praying with those who take prayer seriously.
When I read the prayers in this book I see how shallow and narrow some of my own prayers can be. I love the depth and the breadth of the prayers they recorded. Every time I read them I am stimulated to pray more deeply and boldly.
Growing Together in Prayer
These have been some of the major influences in my own prayer life. I wanted to share them with you in the hopes that we can grow together in prayer. For the sake of His great name.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)
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