And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Matthew 6.7-8
Prayer is best when it is simple and profound;
When it is true and not frivolous;
When it is hopeful and joyous.
Guidelines for Prayer with Integrity:
- Keep it Quiet. Prayer is not for impressing anyone. You do not need to make a scene. The purpose for prayer is that you and God would have a conversation and a relationship. Anything beyond that is not only superfluous, it is sinful. It is between the two of you alone.
- Keep it Short. Get to the point. Get over the thought that to be spiritual you have to be long. Praying for a long time does not necessarily mean that you have a great relationship with the Lord. It could mean that you know a lot of words, or have nothing else to do, or that you are boring.
- Keep it Honest. God knows the truth anyway. Do not try to make God think that you are something that you are not. Do not make yourself seem more committed or spiritual than you really are. Who are you trying to fool?
- Keep it Up. Be consistent and persistent. Remember the story of the persistent widow. Her prayer was answered. God wants to bless you and answer your prayers. Do not forget that.
Prayer Promise
Prayer is mysterious, but the act of prayer is not.
Prayer is miraculous, but it begins with my will.
My desire is to know the miracle of prayer-
The mystery of prayer-
And to know it personally.
6 comments:
Do you ever find yourself praying "without integrity?" That is, have you violated any of the "Keep it..." statements? Which ones are you guilty of breaking? How can you avoid breaking them? What are the consequences?
which one do I break?
Keep it up. There are a lot of needs I am not lifting up consistantly. And how very strongly we are feeling the need for intercessory prayer right now.
How to avoid this; Well, perhaps verses posted in sight that mention prayer would be a good start. A conscious effort to pray more.
Consequences - What blessings missed because of my lack of praying for others, wow.
Wow, Paula! Great idea. Posting prayer verses where they are visible is a great idea. I have used memory verse cards this way on my dashboard, refridgerator, etc., but this is a new twist. Thanks!
These "Keeps" are actually quite simple & easy...just sometimes hard to remember.
Keep it quiet...not hard at all, I'm basically a quiet, private person.
Keep it short...something I've always used since reading Dickinson's book What Happens When Women Pray
Keep it honest...can't fool God can we?
Keep it up...perhaps the hardest one of them all, but after 60 years, prayer is such a natural part of my life that it too comes easily.
I hope you don't think I'm being a smart-alec about this one, because it does come from the heart. But because of the tone, I've taken a long time to respond. God has finally put my fingers to the keyboard.
My prayer is that Christians will all take time to commune with God, afterall, that's what he created us for!
Well when I think about interceding for others I am reminded of Abraham's prayer for mercy in Genesis where he tells Abraham that: "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it." God will listen to our pleas for mercy. So the consequences of our not interceding for others could be very great. Somthing to think about.
You and Richard Foster must be buds. Only you can tell it in English, as opposed to his Chinese version... lol.
Keeping it simple has always been a struggle for me, as I am a perfectionist. Unfortunately, I felt so unworthy for so many years for not living up to the standards I set for myself... I guess growing older and trials have allowed me to... forced me to... simplify my prayer and relationship with Jesus. It's quite liberating, really.
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