Different Ways to Pray (1)

Someone who’s better at prayer than you are is already at work on your behalf. ‘The Spirit of God… helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but His Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonising longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as He prays for those who love God.’ (Romans 8:26–27 PHPS)

Notice, the Holy Spirit ‘helps us in our present limitations’. Sometimes we’ve a hard time focusing. We all know what it’s like to be with another person when their mind is wandering. What’s the answer? Try jotting down what goes on while you’re praying. The two most common hindrances to praying successfully are:

(a) your mind gets easily distracted

(b) you get tired.

When John Ortberg shared these frustrations with a friend, he suggested John go outside alone and simply invite Jesus along with him. Ortberg writes: ‘The next day I went to the ocean, took off my shoes, started to run and invited Jesus to come along. I found the strangest thing. When I thought I was supposed to be talking to Him, I found it effortful and difficult. Now that all I had to do was invite Him, I couldn’t stop thinking about Him. My mind kept reflecting on His being with me. I found myself wanting to point out the pelicans and the waves to Him. People and concerns would pop into my mind, and I would find myself telling Jesus about them. Everything changed.’

So, invite Jesus to come along with you today and share each thing you do with Him.