Can you identify anything you would want to change about your prayer life? God designed prayer as a means for us to communicate with and to learn about Him. He even goes so far as to initiate prayer. That was only one of my surprises while researching to write a Bible study on prayer. So, one by one I abandoned false concepts and moldy teaching.

The Bible study is for those who are not satisfied with their prayer life and who have longed for a deeper relationship with God. It is the culmination of more than a dozen years of reading and studying the writings of respected theologians, preachers, and other writers. Now I’m ready to share the results of my treasure hunt.

What to Expect:
Readers will learn to prioritize as they take a closer look at Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:33 (ESV):

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

I learned to pray anew.

Prayer is both a privilege and an obligation. It is also, if done properly, work. God designed and chose prayer as the only means for us to communicate with Him. Prayers can take many forms. Prayer may be spoken aloud or silently from the heart. You may be so burdened, you can only groan, or cry, or look toward heaven. Remember, we were created in God’s image. He speaks to us through such means as creation, His Word, and other people, and we communicate with Him through prayer.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. (Proverbs 15:8 KJV)

Would you have ever thought you were capable of delighting God? What a breathtaking and mind-boggling thought! Yet the psalmist says,

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4 ESV)

God wants to take pleasure in us as we can take pleasure in Him. One author I read said God becomes more real to us as we get more natural in our praying. She said the greatest answer to prayer is to realize God’s presence. Are we looking for that answer? Do we continue praying until we realize God’s presence? Or do we just go through the motions?

Sometimes, I am so guilty of delaying prayer for a more convenient time—after I finish whatever I am working on, or when I have more time, after a TV program is over, etc. etc. etc. Anyone else have that problem? How do you deal with it?

We are to pray NOW when the Spirit of God nudges us. If we do not, we are losing the urgency of the moment. We lose the fervency of the prayer. I know from experience we cannot invoke the same passion when we delay praying.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 (ESV)