When I look back on my past thirty nine years, the times when I have been most in tune with God have been those times in which prayer has been an active part of my life.

Here are 5 tips to enrich your prayer life that have been helpful to me and I hope they will be helpful to you!

1)Whatever is in your heart, pour it out to HIm. God desires to be in fellowship with you. He knows what you are feeling, what darkness or uneasiness you are walking through, so tell him. There’s just something about verbalizing it that shows our dependence on Him. He knows and loves you more than anyone else He is there to catch you, to be your one and only. He is trustworthy, so pour your heart out to Him.

2) Pray for those closest to you and here’s the kicker…Tell them about it. A short quick text when you pray for that friend may be exactly what they need. Praying for others and sharing that gives them encouragement and it also helps you to be more focused on others than on yourself.

3) If you see a prayer need from a friend, stop and pray right away. How many times on Facebook does someone ask you to pray and you comment ‘Praying’ but then never do? Me too. I try and write it down in my prayer journal later, but stopping to pray for that friend immediately? It keeps our mind set on the heart of God, that our dependence is on God and God alone for our needs and the needs of others.

4) Pray Continually. I know how this is. We spend our time praying for those needs in our lives, for our families, for ourselves, close our prayer journals, and do not really think about praying throughout the day. But, I love this verse in 1 Thess. 5:16-18 “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God will bring people and things to pray for to your mind if you pay attention and set reminders. I am going to try something new and when I get an alert for a text message, I’m going to pray for them before I text back. An easy and practical way to pray continually.

5) Praise God. If you are reading a passage of scripture for the day, think about what you can learn about God’s character in the passage. He is all powerful, all knowing, gracious, loving, merciful, holy, faithful always. Worship Him in prayer for who He is and your love for Him and others will flow out of you. Psm. 150: 1-2 says, “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!”

Praying is not about what you can get from God, praying draws you closer to the heart of God. He cares for you. He delights in you. He desires to hear from you, to speak to you. Draw close to Him and your prayer life will be enriched.

For my favorite prayer journal, go to www.wrenrobbins.com/favorites

XO,

Wren