Praying Expectantly!

             Prayer is like any other form of communication in the sense that it should allow both parties to speak.  With that in mind, there are several additional preparations that you need to make before you begin this prayer journey.

            Perhaps the most important aspect of your prayer life is your attitude.  You are about to converse with the Creator of the universe and your attitude should reflect that.  We must come before His throne with reverence and humility, recognizing that He alone is worthy of our praise and worship.  He alone is God!  Humble yourself before Him.  Be prepared to bare your soul as you would do for no human.  He knows everything already, so there’s no point in trying to hide your secrets.  Tell Him your innermost thoughts and your “secret” sins.

            Never forget that, while He is the Creator, He is also your friend.  Talk to Him as you would a friend.  Tell Him your fears and frustrations.  Open your heart and share your life with Him.  He loves you more than any human ever can, and He longs to be an integral part of your life.

            As you pray, be specific and expect Him to answer.  Too many of us grew up learning to pray in generalities.  We need to learn to be specific in our prayers.  Tell Him the details of your life.  Pray for specific needs, but don’t stop there.  Begin looking for how God will respond to your requests.  Persevere in your prayers, and remember His timetable is not yours, so the wait may be longer than you desire, and the answer may not be what you hoped, but He will answer.  Unfortunately, the world teaches us to see “coincidences” rather than answered prayer.  It’s not enough to expect God to answer, you need to be constantly looking for His answers.  Live your life expecting Him to answer because He will!

            Finally, remember that God also desires to speak to us.  Make sure that your focused prayer time includes a time when you will be silent before Him and allow Him to speak to your innermost being.  He also speaks through His Word, so spend time reading and meditating on Scripture.  You may also want to pray portions of Scripture back to Him.  He may also speak through the counsel of Godly friends and colleagues, so always be listening.

            God will speak in various ways.  It’s up to us to live expecting answers. It’s also important that we don’t allow our prayers to be confined to a monologue where we do all the talking.  There must be a dialogue that will also allow God to speak to us. 

            Next time, we’ll talk about how you should focus your prayer time as you prepare for this thirty-day journey.  This could be a crucial part of beginning a new life of prayer.

II Chronicles 7: 14

Psalm 145: 13 - 21

Luke 18: 7 – 8

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