Former Blackout Artist

“Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God.” – Martin Lloyd Jones

I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer lately… particularly how routine my prayers have become, especially this season. I’m finding that I keep praying for the same things over and over. Sometimes the names change, but that’s about it. Honestly, I feel like my prayer life has grown stale, like I’ve hit a wall.

I guess that’s why the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about my prayer life as of late. Not that I don’t pray for good things, but that I seldom pray for the central things – the things Jesus emphasized, the things the early church devoted itself to. The things Scripture keeps circling back to over and over.

So I started thinking about it. Okay… am I praying according to God’s will, or just according to my own instincts – the things I think are worthy of prayer? Because truthfully, I feel like I should be much further along in my prayer life than I am currently.

I was tempted to do a search on the internet, maybe find a sermon on YouTube. But then the Spirit led me to go to THE SOURCE. Because Scripture indeed gives us a pretty clear picture of what God wants His people to pray for – things that matter deeply to Him.

As I was reading this, the thought occurred to me that maybe this would be something good for my blog, a good reference for my prayer life, something I could sort out with some personal reading and writing. And maybe others might be struggling with the same thing and find it helpful.

What the Bible Says About Prayer

• Pray against temptation and spiritual weakness.

Jesus said it plainly in Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

I don’t pray for that nearly enough. But according to Jesus, this should be a daily prayer for each of us.

• Pray for open doors for the gospel.

Paul repeatedly asked for this. Colossians 4:3 says, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message.” And again in 2 Thessalonians 3:1 – “Pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”

That was always on Paul’s list. My list? Not so much.

• Pray for leaders and those in authority.

1 Timothy 2:1-3: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Not because we agree with them, but because God desires peace and salvation in the world.

• Pray in suffering and in joy.

James tells us in 5:13, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”

Not just when things go wrong. Not just when things go right. Both, James tells us.

• Pray for each other’s healing, burdens, and holiness.

James again refers us to 5:16 and calls us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another.

Prayer isn’t just a private discipline – it’s a community responsibility. Do I have a brother in Christ that I’m accountable to, who is praying for me, and me praying for him?

And Scripture gives us many examples of prayer in action. David cried out for mercy and forgiveness in Psalm 51. Paul prayed for the salvation of Israel in Romans 10. The early church prayed for boldness in Acts 4 – not comfort, not safety, but courage!

Scripture goes even further and talks about how we pray.

• Pray with right motives. James 4:3 tells us that our motives should be pure when we’re asking God for something.

• Pray with a forgiving heart. Jesus ties forgiveness directly to faith-filled prayer in Mark 11. Bitterness will choke prayer before it ever has a chance to reach heaven.

• Pray with a reconciled heart. Jesus tells us that if we are in conflict with a fellow believer, we should leave our gift in front of the altar and immediately go and reconcile with them, then return to offer our gift. That same spirit applies to our prayers. If I’m clinging to conflict with another believer, reconciliation matters to God.

• Pray with Thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 and Philippians 4:6-7 both tell us that prayer without gratitude is incomplete. How often do I approach God with a sense of entitlement or grumbling?

• Pray with persistence. Jesus in Luke 18:1, “Always pray and do not give up.” Then, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

• Pray relying on the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26-27 reminds us that we don’t always know what to pray, but the Spirit does.

After reading all of this, something else rose to the surface. Something deeper than technique or lists or categories.

A relationship with God means spending time with Him. Not squeezing Him in. Not tossing up quick, tired lines while we rush from one thing to another. But actually creating space…. choosing Him over everything else. Something I come to not because I should, but because I want to. Because I actually want to be with Him… to sit before Him… to let Him shape the way I think, feel, and live.

And maybe that’s where these biblical guides come in – the passages that tell us what to pray for and how to pray. Not as rules to follow, but as invitations to align our hearts with His. To want what He wants. To stop praying only according to my own instincts and start praying for what matters to Him.

Do I want Him enough to pray the way He teaches me to pray?

Because when I want Him, when being with Him is the priority, the rest begins to fall into place. My motives shift. My requests change. My heart opens. And just maybe – my prayers will start sounding less like me, and more like someone who is growing closer to God.

And that’s the whole point.

P.S. Thank you for giving me a platform to share this. I post a lot of stuff here, and sometimes it may sound like I’ve got everything “together.” But man, sometimes I just find myself struggling with some aspect of my walk with Christ and if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s this: I can’t afford to not get it out there and talk about it. To talk through it. To see what the Bible says and get some encouragement from those who have been there.