I've been asked numerous times by a number of people the following questions:
How do I #pray
How to pray
How to have a dynamic prayer life
How to pray in a way that gets answers (not in a manipulative way, but in an effective way)
How to pray to increase faith and see healing results
How to pray in a way that is more of a conversation with God
How to pray even while living in chaos
How to develop the "next level" of maturity and intimacy
How to develop a listening ear
While there are many structured guides to #prayer (several that I can highly recommend), I find that don't like (and won't stick to) a single way of praying consistently. My personality usually resists conformity. The only time I stick to something day after day for a long time is when God asks me to do so, which has happened on few times. For example, He once asked me to pray from midnight to 3 AM each night/morning ONLY what He told me to pray. I had to kick around a soccer ball to stay awake but that was a time when I really began to develop a listening ear.
Otherwise, I draw from several tools and methods to "go with the flow" of the Holy Spirit. Some seasons emphasize one thing more than another and even some days lead one direction more than another. This has taken time to develop—it's the old adage "practice makes perfect" at work.
In this case, it's what my husband says: more time with God equals more of God in your life.
However, in the next several blogs, I will cover some of my most-relied upon methods/techniques/processes.
The first foundational technique that I am probably going to spend the rest of my life mastering: quieting my spirit and mind in order to be able to hear God speak. Even if this means five minutes over a cup of tea each day, it must be a discipline developed each day.
Without this foundational concept, nothing else works. I've written a bit about this before...and I know it's not easy in today's hectic world! But it's necessary to any kind of intimate walk with God. My goal is to be so quick to quiet down, that even if my own children are bleeding profusely, I can respond with instant quiet and listen to the Holy Spirit.
I bring up my goal because I find that the closer I am to the person or situation for whom I'm praying, the harder it is to quiet myself to hear. Now that I've been practicing for a long time, I find I can tune out the kids, turn off everything else, and get quiet when I'm praying for others, but I struggle when it's my own people or situations.
Most recent example: One of my sisters and her entire family were in a very bad car accident. I got the text when I woke up in the middle of the night and checked my phone (which I rarely do) so I had time to get up, look outside, make my panicked cry out to God "Oh God! Help me! Help them!" and then find the quiet. It took about five full minutes but once I quieted, I asked God what to pray specifically for each person. He led me through each person and revealed what He wanted me to pray, declare, and assurances He wanted to give. The specifics and accuracy are always amazing to me! More on that later...
Grace disciplines the mind.
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