Discipleship: Prayer
- Josh Barker
- Mar 29, 2020
- 4 min read
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts looking at disciplined discipleship. Today, we look at the spiritual discipline of prayer. This blog is not exhaustive or conclusive, the following is the thoughts and ideas I have learned around prayer. There would be enough material to do a whole series on prayer alone but this is not an attempt to cover everything, rather to scratch the surface and begin the conversation about one of the keys to discipleship.
Throughout the Bible there are many cases of people praying. In the Old Testament we see heroes of faith having open and frank conversations with God. In the New Testament we see Jesus and His relationship with His Father. Then, later in the New Testament, we see the apostles and early disciples talking to God. Fundamentally, that is what prayer should be. An open conversation with God.
Sometimes, as humans we have a tendency to over-complicate things. Prayer being no exception. The only thing that matters when it comes to prayer – to authentically be with your heavenly Father. There doesn’t need to be a structure. You don’t need to check boxes. In reality, you don’t even need to speak. The connection you have with the Father is so special, enhanced by the Holy Spirit, that when words don’t come – and there are times when there aren't words – the Holy Spirit intercedes and talks to God on your behalf.
All God wants is for His people to walk with Him, authentically sharing life, being in His presence.
I haven’t always found prayer easy. At times, it can feel intangible, remote and distant. It can be hard to keep up this essential part of discipleship, especially when you don’t feel like it is ‘doing’ anything. Prayer is so much more than ‘doing things’ though, it is about your relationship with God and how you communicate with Him.
On the website, I have created a few resources that you can access. Creative_Prayer_Ideas.pdf has some ideas that might be useful to take the ‘intangible’-ness of prayer and bring it into a new, visual, authentic faith experience. Also, you will find a template for a prayer journal (Prayer_Journal.pdf). Recently, I have found that journaling helps me to bring the intangibility of prayer into the ‘real’ world. It has also helped me to remain accountable for the prayers that I say I will bring before God. These resources, and more can be found in the subscriber resources page: www.aspirationallivingblog.co.uk/resources
If you are not a subscriber, why not sign up? Simply fill out the 'subscribe to blog' form and you will gain instant access to this page. Why not take some time to explore this resource.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
I know for many people, being able to have structure, helps us relate to and understand things better. In the Bible, we see Jesus in Matthew 6 helping His followers to understand prayer as more than just a duty. In this short prayer, He covers a whole range of topics and uses it as a way to show people the kind of prayers they should pray. Jesus condemns the 'duty' of prayer as meaningless tradition rather, He encourages His followers to seek an authentic relationship with His Father, our Father. Today as always, this remains the same.
Finally, don't be afraid to pray big. As it says in Ephesians 3, He is able to do immeasurably more. If it is His will and of His time; it will be. I know this is easy to say (and write) but in reality is really hard. It means that you have to place your trust in Him. When you pray, you have to trust that God will work even if it isn't the way you wanted or expected. Trust that He knows what is for the best. So, pray big!
Finally (for real this time!), I know that this has been brief, but if you take just one thing away from today's blog, let it be this - don't let the world, the 'human'ness, the rules and regulations put you off from seeking an authentic, open and real relationship with your Father. Allow yourself to connect to Him. To share life with Him. He is there. He is waiting - ready to listen and speak.
On the cross, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and your heavenly Father reached out to you. The real question remains: will you reach back?
Lead us from temptation
Lead us from temptation
But deliver us
Deliver us
From evil to Thy salvation
For Thine is the Kingdom
Thine is the power
And the glory forever
Forever, Amen
Selah - The Lord's Prayer (Deliver Us)
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