The bridge that carries you daily to God is prayer.
Prayer connects you to God. It’s your personal line of communication between you and your Creator.
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” (Psalm 66:16-20, ESV)
Jesus often withdrew to pray to the Father. There He received strength for the journey, direction from the Father and refreshing and power from the Holy Spirit.
“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” (Hebrews 5:7, ESV)
“But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:16, ESV)
Jesus is our example. The way He lived His life is the way we should live ours.
So, what does a deeper prayer life look like? How can I increase the depth of my relationship with God through prayer?
- Pray more frequently. The more often you talk to God, the more comfortable you will be, and therefore the more willing you will be to open up to Him about your life.
- Pray about more things. The more things you share with God the more He is able to help you. The more you open up to Him the more you will see Him at work.
- Pray more conversationally. The more conversational you become in talking with God, the more likely you are to open up with Him about anything in your life.
- Pray more intimately. The more personal and real you are with God, the more intimately He can be involved in the details of your life.
- Pray with thanksgiving. Starting your prayers with thanksgiving, even when it’s hard, opens you up to right relationship with God, and puts you in the right frame of mind to receive what He has for you. Thanksgiving helps you to lay down your burdens, tear down any walls between you and God, and opens up your heart for unhindered communication with Him.
- Listen for God’s voice with purpose and intent. Listening is key in communication! It’s no different with God. If you want to have a deeper relationship with Him, you need to be ready to listen to what He has to say, not just fill up your prayer time with your own voice.
- Confess and repent immediately. Sin separates us from God. If you know there’s something going on in your life that needs to be dealt with, bring it to God right away in prayer. Confess, repent and receive the forgiveness Jesus offers. Then your way will be made clear to communicate openly and honestly with God.
- Pray in faith, believing God. Praying in faith doesn’t mean we always get what we want. But if you are going to God as the source of the answers to your prayers, and you don’t believe He can or will do anything about it, then your line of communication with Him is blocked. Ask yourself this question: Why would you go to someone if you didn’t think they could help you?
- Pray with a right heart and right motives. God loves righteousness. If we come to Him with selfish or prideful motives He is not pleased. If He sees that your heart is not right when you come to Him in prayer (full of resentment, self-centered motives, unforgiveness, doubt, pride etc.) then He will not want to act on that prayer. Instead He will want to deal with your own heart condition first before He does anything with your request. Your heart must be right before God, according to His Word, if you are to expect Him to intervene in your circumstances.
- Pray with humility. God responds to a humble heart. When you come before Him, acknowledging fully your failings and weaknesses, regarding Him with honor as Lord, Savior and Creator, then you have a full audience with God. Humility opens the door to honest, rich dialogue with the God of the universe.
What does your prayer life look like right now? Do you pray every day? What’s your heart like when you do? Do you expect God to answer you? Are you listening for His voice? Do you communicate with Him like you would a close friend? Do you honor Him as Lord? Are you stuck in a rut of ritualistic prayer that you’ve memorized but are devoid of any real meaning in your life?
God wants to hear from you. He wants to talk to you. He longs to spend time with you. You can tell Him anything. Any time. Anywhere. He is not distant, cold or foreign. He is personal, alive and desiring of a relationship with you. A relationship rich with deep sharing, good talks and intimate communion. Take advantage of His willingness to participate in your life. A rich prayer life will lead you into a deeper walk with God.
A Deeper Walk With God 