Scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Meditate on the attributes of God. Prayer is not only asking but acknowledging who God is. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-8
As you think on the character of God, thank him for his love, compassion, faithfulness, and justice.
Thank God for answered prayer. Make a list of the most recent blessings you've received and answered prayer. Gratefulness has been correlated with better overall health, and gratitude is a command. As you start your time of prayer, spend time thanking him for his blessings.
Ask for your needs. God is honored when you ask him for help. In Psalm 50:15, God says, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
As you praise Him, thank Him, and give Him your requests!
Challenge: Set your timer for 10 minutes one day this week and work through these three steps.
Scripture: “ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” Ephesians 1:16-20
A tree can’t grow tall unless it has a good root system. A very tall building needs good foundations, deep underground. In the same way, our prayer life will be shallow if we’re not deeply rooted in our relationship with Christ. When we are strongly anchored in Him, we will have the confidence to ask for great things.
As you start praying for the deep things of God, you will see Him begin to work. Instead of asking primarily for riches, fame, popularity, or miraculous healing, let’s follow the example of the Apostle Paul in his prayer in Ephesians chapter 1.
Challenge: Following Paul’s example, pray for the following:
Pray that you can know God.
Pray for wisdom and understanding.
Pray that your heart would know the hope of your inheritance.
Pray for power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead—is at work in our lives.
Don’t be afraid to ask God for wonderful new levels of understanding, power, wisdom, and love. Most of all, ask to know him more personally and intimately. He is listening, and he wants to give you more than you can ask or imagine.
Scripture: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91: 1
Our daily lives are filled with so much noise. Not all of the noise is negative but we are conditioned to be constantly on the move, constantly taking in information and never resting.
The Psalmist says "he that dwelleth". To dwell means to sit, stay or abide. This requires us to slow down and make time to sit with our Maker.
The secret place is simply that space with you and God that is not affected by others, where you can be completely free and raw with your feelings and thoughts.
Sometimes we can find ourselves in the secret place in the presence of others if we can tune them out and just focus on the Lord. But I encourage you to make time to be in the secret place without others around.
It is one thing to raise our hands and shout praises at church, but what are we doing when we are alone just washing dishes or doing small daily tasks.
What you do in those times is most precious to the Lord because there is no motivation to impress anyone else. It is the secret place...it is sacred.
Challenge: Take note of the amount of time this week you stop to be in God's presence outside of church settings.
