How to Establish and Maintain a Consistent Prayer Life (Part 1)

If there is anything that many believers of Jesus struggle with, it is consistency in prayer. I remember a time when I would spend hours in prayer and worship when I needed solutions to certain things, only to become scarce in my prayer closet after I found them. I had a patchy relationship with the Lord and my prayer life was one of the evidences of my inconsistency with my faith walk.

Prayer is central to the life of every believer. No amount of Bible reading, good works, charitable deeds or great performance at work will minimise the role that prayer plays in shaping you into who Christ has called you to be. Prayer is so important that Jesus spent nights on mountains engaging in it. Every notable individual in scripture encountered God in one way or another through prayer. We see scripturally that those with active prayer lives had fairly consistent life patterns. They had stability and peace. The place of prayer helped bring them back to oneness with God even if they had moments of weakness (King David as an example).

Building a consistent prayer life is based on principles. These principles are tied to our beliefs. Since I'd love to have a short and sweet post, I will highlight three things that are essential as a foundation for a strong and consistent prayer life. We will delve into the hows, whats, whens, whos and whats later!

Prayer is Important

You cannot be consistent in something you do not find worth your time. If you do not think prayer matters, then you will not make time for it. We however see from scripture that prayer is important and should be part of every believer's life.

"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12 NKJV

This is just one of the many instances where Christ prayed. He prayed all night. This is God in the flesh. God Himself. Praying. All night. Think about that for a moment.

Jesus, praying

If Christ, our model for faith and life engaged in prayer for a prolonged period (not just a minute or two), what of us?

Prayer is so central to Christ that He found it important to model to others so that they may learn how to pray (The Lord's Prayer).

Being Prayerful is God's Desire for Us

God desires that we live prayerful lives. He not only wants us to prosper, but He wants our souls to prosper as well. Our souls are strengthened by closely communing with Him. We do this primarily through prayer.

There are several ways this desire is expressed scripturally:

God desires us to present every worry we have to Him in prayer: Philippians 4: 6 NKJV: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

God desires us to pray without ceasing, even in hardship: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV: "Pray without ceasing..." and Romans 12:12 NKJV: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

God desires to bless us exceedingly even as we pray in faith: Mark 11:24 NKJV: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

God sees prayer as an important prerequisite to His invited presence: Jeremiah 29:!2 NKJV: " Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you."

There are many more instances where we see the revealed will of God concerning prayer. But the point is hopefully clear: God would like each of us to give ourselves to prayer.

Prayer is Effective

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months." James 5:14-17 NKJV.

From the excerpt above, we see an emphasis on the effectiveness of prayer for healing in the lives of the early Christians. We see other instances of prayers being effective in the lives of people in the Old Testament. One such example is that of Elisha raising the Shunammite woman's son from the dead. He invoked much faith and prayer in the performance of this miracle. As a man whose life was composed of devotion and prayer, he saw and performed many signs and wonders. Elisha lived an effective life (in this sense, full of impact).

I pray that your walk with the Lord may increase in intimacy and that your prayer life may be continually transformed as you abide in Him.

See you next time!

With love,

J.