PRELUDE TO PRAYER STUDY: BEST PRACTICE #1 ESTABLISH A TIME AND PLACE TO PRAY

As I sit here thinking about my past weekend, working the "Walk to Emmaus" I am rejuvenated in my walk with God. As much as when I attend the "Walk to Emmaus" for the first time as a pilgrim. (Your first time you are a pilgrim the other times you are workers or "the team". ) We did a lot of praying this weekend and it made me think about our upcoming study on prayer.

I want to give you a little introduction information, some REFLECTION questions and some activities to do before we officially begin. Just to get us in the right mood and atmosphere for the study.

If you want to improve or learn to pray, you need to set the stage. Just as if you are cooking. You need a place to cook, a cookbook/recipe, the right utensil and ingredients along with equipment.  In fact for each room in your house, there a specific things there to MAKE THAT ROOM what it is. Think about it, the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room, and the laundry room. You should have EVERY THING you need, to accomplish what is expected and necessary for those task specific for those rooms.

5 FACTORS SHAPE YOUR PRAYER

1.    CONSISTENCY. How often do you pray?

2.    BREADTH. Do you struggle with what to say?

3.    DEPTH. Do you have a growing sense of intimacy with God? Do you recognize God at work?

4.    FOCUS. How well can you stay focused during prayer? Does your mind tend to wander to other things?

5.    INTEGRATION. How much is prayer a part of your life? Is it shaping who you are or just an extra curricular activity?

As most of us are nurses, we have heard a lot about “BEST PRACTICES” when it comes to patients. 

Wikipedia says “A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark. In addition, a "best" practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.”

 Prayers have “Best Practices” too.

During this week, I will be posting these “Best Practices” for you to prepare for our study next week.

1)   ESTABLISH A DAILY DEVOTION/PRAY TIME AND PLACE

Prayer should not be left to WHEN ever and WHERE ever. It is simply too critical. That’s why you need to sit aside a TIME and PLACE for PRAYER.

Your prayer time/devotional time is a sacred time, holy time, a time set apart from all other times, just for GOD.

Just as you schedule your workday, important appointments, schedule time for GOD. This is one way to make prayer a priority.

Many People pray at night as they fall asleep. They may offer thanks for meals or just run to God when life gets so overwhelming.

God is with us constantly, throughout the day and always giving us HIS very best, shouldn’t we do the same?

A PLACE. You can pray anywhere you want. However have a set place will make you more focused.  Your prayer “spot” can be as simple as a chair in your living room

or maybe you want to dedicate a closet as a “prayer closet”. (I am planning this myself).

It may be somewhere outdoors or more than one place.

 Wherever the place or places are, make sure that your space is one where you can be ALONE with God and uninterrupted. Yes, it can even be in the Bathroom.

NEXT TOPIC....ESTABLISH A ROUTINE......................