Learn to Love to Pray

Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty. —E. M. Bounds

Falling in love with the Father means falling in love with prayer. But learning to love to pray can be a different story.

Andrew Murray wrote, “Answered prayer is the interchange of love between the Father and his child.” We can’t have fulfilling earthly relationships without love; the same is true about our prayer relationship with the Lord of the universe. The daily discipline of prayer gives birth to love, and the more we love God, the easier the daily discipline becomes.

I admit I used to think prayer was boring. God’s taken me from “boring” to “roaring” through His Spirit. He will do the same for you! You can learn to love prayer by taking baby steps.

Dispense with the formalities and look at God again through the eyes of a child, with a pure heart and confident faith.

Maybe you grew up with a view of God as angry, violent, condemning, unapproving, or judgmental. You may have been taught that the only way to pray is by repeating memorized prayers that have little significance or relevance to your life. Maybe your father or mother was abusive, and you struggle to see God as good, loving, and kind.

If so, pray, “Lord, I’ve grown up with a false or incomplete picture of who You really are. Please help me see You as loving, righteous, and giving. Help me become someone after Your own heart who reflects Your love and grace to my children.”

How can we learn to love to pray?

Start creating a new prayer habit today with just a few simple steps:

Find Your Prayer Closet
Early believers often created “prayer closets” for themselves. Find a comfortable chair, a desk or table, or another place (public or private) that you can consider your “prayer closet”.

Purchase a Journal
If you haven’t already, purchase a pretty journal or a steno notebook for recording your prayer requests and praises.

Make Yourself at Home
Pour yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee to enjoy as you sit down to read, highlight, and pray through this chapter and the scriptures at the end of it.

Pray & Memorize the Scriptures
If possible, also pray back through the scriptures at the end of every chapter and begin memorizing them.

Create Visual Reminders
You may also want to buy or make a plaque with phrases about prayer and put it in your “prayer spot” or a prominent place as a reminder. I found a darling plaque recently that says, “Prayer changes things!” I put it in the kitchen so I can see it soon after I wake up in the morning.

I’m an early bird, so for me, morning is the best time to pray. Morning prayer “rolls out the red carpet” for God, setting a tone of praise and thanksgiving for the day. It offers us a spiritual perspective that we can carry with us through the day. If we commune with God early in the morning and lay our burdens on Him then, we will be free to enjoy each day unencumbered, soaring on wings of freedom and joy.

I also believe that when our children see us praying for them early in the morning, God will engrave that positive image on their minds and hearts.

I remember my own mother (who had six children) waking up at 4:45 every morning to spend at least an hour praying for us and for anyone else who needed it. She would faithfully pray through fat notebooks overflowing with prayer requests. Sometimes little slips of paper would fall out, and she would tuck them carefully back into her book so no request would be lost. God has seared that image in my memory.

When our kids see that we are devoted to praying for them, they will sense our love. Our example will warm their souls with a flame of peace and security. Ideally, it will also inspire them to become people who love to pray themselves.

Your Turn

As you become a Prayer Warrior Mom, your relationship with God will blossom, sweeten, and deepen. Your confidence will grow as you enter into His presence more often and with more authority. How would you describe your current prayer life? Do you love to pray? What special details can you plan to make your prayer time more enjoyable?

Photo by: Stephanie Corbel (Photos.com)