ABC's of Prayer

After preaching a message on prayer Saturday PM, I had an individual come up tell me that he didn't know how to pray - that after 60 seconds of prayer there was nothing left to say to God. He yearned for more.
I know there are many others in the same place as this fellow but have lacked the courage to talk to anyone about it. So, for all who feel the same inadequacy, I offer some help (though I am no expert and need to grow myself!):

Preparation

First, set a routine that will work for you each day. Find a particular time in the day that works with your schedule and body clock (some can't do mornings) to set aside for the purpose of talking to God. Give yourself a cushion of time, meaning, if you have been praying for 5 minutes per day, block out 15 minutes; if you have been praying 10 minutes per day, block out 20 minutes so that you are not rushed.

Secondly, find a quiet place where the distractions will be minimal. If there is no quiet place to pray in your house, go on a walk while praying. This may be strange at first but you will get over the novelty quickly and learn to enjoy it.

Thirdly, read your Bible before you pray. This helps your heart get oriented towards God. I made the mistake early in my life to skip reading and get to praying because I thought I knew the Bible well enough. Ha! What a joke that was! Everytime I tried praying first without reading my Bible, my heart was disengaged for the first 15 minutes. I desperately needed the fire of God's Word to defrost my heart in order to pray.

Prayer

Use the previous blog (How to Pray for One Hour) to help you in the very act of prayer. If you want to pray for 30 minutes, simply divide the time allotment of each section by half. If that is still more time in prayer than you can handle for now, divide the time allotment by one third, and so on...you get the idea. For more instruction on prayer, listen to the sermon series I preached back in August 2006 called "Lord, Teach Us To Pray (on Harvest's website - harvestrockford.org).