Let’s Get Practical About Prayer
We are constantly bombarded with information and notifications throughout the day that make it very difficult to hear God's voice if we haven't trained our ears to know what He sounds like. Without first learning how to hear God's voice in the silence, we will never consistently hear His voice in the chaos. Learning to hear His voice in the chaos unlocks our opportunity to partner with God, where He is at work all around us IN THE MOMENT. Many of the opportunities we have to partner with God CAN be pre-planned and prayed for in advance. Still, if these are our only experiences of partnering with God, I think we are missing so many of the IN THE MOMENT opportunities that only God knows are coming our way.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV
On Mission - One Day at a Time
A consistent surrendered heart that is continuously saying "it's not about me" is key to being On Mission. I can't tell you how many times in a day that I have to repeat this phrase in my head to reset my priorities, helping me to get back On Mission.
On Mission is the daily execution of the ten topics I have been sharing about for several weeks. The first three topics focus on connecting with God - 1. commitment to the sabbath, 2. Continuous Prayer and 3. worship that leads to intimacy. The next three topics focus on God molding us into something He can use to make a difference in the world around us - 4. leaving the past in the past, 5. moving from initial sin to obedience, and 6. surrendering my agenda and plan. The last four topics are our outward expression of compassion to the world around us resulting from connecting with God and letting Him mold us into his likeness - 7. partnering with God where he is at work around us, 8. staying in the moment, 9. meeting people right where they are, and 10. living a life of missional generosity.
Let's Get Practical About Prayer
Below are seven sample prayers that I use almost daily to keep me continuously communicating with Jesus, allowing me to stay focused On The Mission that God has uniquely called me to. In the comments below, let me know what specific prayers keep you in close communication with Jesus.
Morning Prayer
To start the day off, I like to pray the following Prayer.
"Thank you for the air in my lungs, the strength in my feet, and the passion in my heart. I surrender my schedule and plan for this day. Please open my eyes to where you are at work in the hearts of your people who are all around me. Please show me how I can partner with you to make a difference in the world and lead others to an intimate relationship with you."
Pray Over My Calendar
The next thing I do is pray over each meeting, scheduled event, or planned task. I ask for wisdom on what to say and how to act. I pray for people who I might be meeting with either in person or on the phone. I surrender any anxiety I might be feeling about a particular event.
Pray Over My On-Going Prayer List
I allow the Lord to lead me through praying over specific people or items on my on-going prayer list. In my prayers, I try to be as specific as possible based on what I know about the person or situation. This time of prayer is a lot of waiting on the Lord to reveal to me what to pray and any specific wisdom I am supposed to share with the person I am praying for.
On-Demand Prayer
Inevitably, we will be faced with people, conversations, and situations that we weren't expecting throughout the day. Learning to pray IN THE MOMENT can help you partner with God when you weren't planning to. Going into the day, expecting these situations to come up, can help us keep our spiritual radar up looking for these opportunities instead of avoiding them. I like to think of this prayer as an opportunity to pray over the unexpected.
Spiritual Reset Button
No matter how much you have prayed over your day, we're still human, and it can be easy to drift back into selfishness, abandoning a life of On Mission for something more comfortable. This is where my spiritual reset button helps to get me back on track. You can read more here about how my spiritual reset button came to be while I was on a mission trip to El Salvador. Here is mine.
"Blessed be your name for your name is great and greatly to be praised
I sing praises to your name for your name is great and greatly to be praised"
Transition Prayer
On most days, you and I spend most of our time at work, school or serving in a volunteer capacity. We are constantly transitioning from one area of life to another. One example in my life, is when I leave work after 8+ hours to go home and be with my family. Here is a transition prayer that I say almost every day on my way home from work. This type of prayer helps me process the events of the day and then transition to the next area of focus, allowing me to stay in the moment, giving my family my best that they deserve.
"Lord, help me transition from being a great employee to being the husband that Anne needs and the father that my kids need. Please help me to meet them where they are. Give me the patience and energy to love them well."
Prayer Before Bed
I love the last few lines from the song Endless Alleluia by Bethel Music and often say them over and over in my head before I fall asleep.
In the evening when I lay my head down
In the evening when I close my eyes
You're still the only One I wanna cling to
You're the last thought on my mind
My prayer is that the Lord will show each of us what "On Mission" looks like in our place in life. I hope the seven sample prayers above are helpful, but they are just a template that works for me. The key for each of us is to allow the Lord to develop a unique daily routine that helps you and me stay On Mission, enabling us to experience the amazing adventure that we were uniquely created for.
Sample Prayer
Lord, I confess that it is really hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of continuous prayer. Aren’t you busy? Don’t you have better things to do than talk to me? Do whatever it takes in my life to draw me close to you in a new and fresh way.
Featured Music
Bethel Music - Endless Alleluia
I referenced some of the lyrics from this song in the devotional above. My hope is that as you listen to the song, God will speak to you in a new and fresh way. He longs to communicate with you continuously throughout the day. He is closer than the air in your lungs. Just start talking to him. I promise you He is listening.
About the Author
Nathan Miller
You may know me as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, mentor, ultra marathoner runner, NBA basketball enthusiast, fan of all things tech, music lover and writer. However, the life blood that flows through everything that I strive to be comes from a desire for greater intimacy with Jesus Christ. He is my Savior, my Provider, my Lord and most of all my best friend.