And Jesus spoke a parable to this end, that men ought always to pray and not be faint."  Luke 18:1.

Jesus reminds us here that we should persevere in prayer until the answer comes.  This does not necessarily mean long prayer sessions or endless repetition.  It does mean that we are to keep our requests constantly before God, always believing He will answer.

Paul also tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we are to "pray without ceasing."  Obviously this does not mean that we are to spend all our time on our knees before God, but that we are to be in an attitude of prayer at all times.  This involves, among other things, acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, along with a determination to obey Him fully.  When we do this, we will then find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers as we go about our daily affairs.  This should in no way be a substitute for our regular times of prayer when we draw alone with God.  Rather, these spontaneous prayers should be a result of our alone times with God.

Throughout the Bible, Jesus taught the importance of regular, consistent praying, both by word and by example.  How much more, then, do we need to incorporate His teachings in our own lives.  For me, it requires self-discipline.  I have to discipline myself to set aside a regular time - a regular place - a time to prepare my heart and mind for an encounter with God.  We are told that God will not hear our prayers if we have unconfessed sin in our lives, so this means I must have a time of repentance and confession.  Then I find it helpful to have a time of praise and thanksgiving before I make my requests to Him.

We often hear that our times of prayer must be in some private, alone place.  This is helpful, but when Jesus talked about "closet praying", He was speaking to people who, for the most part, lived in humble homes with little or no privacy.  Later on, Jesus would explain to a Samaritan woman that it was not some special geographical location that makes it possible for us to meet God.  Our secret place is within our souls and our spirits.  This is where God delights to dwell.  The essence of prayer is not what is said - or how, or where.  It is communication with God.  Although I count it a blessing and a privilege to have a private place and a regular time for prayer, my greatest joy is to know that I can meet God at any place and at any time.  Remember that God is seeking to meet with us.  Contrary to what we may imagine, prayer did not originate with us.  It began with God Himself.

I also find it helpful to keep a written prayer list.  I often have so much going on in my life and so many diversions that my concentration isn't always the best.  Many on the list have regular ongoing needs, whereas some are special requests for definite time frames.  Although I have prayed many years for some of the needs on the list, I do not believe that God grows weary with my repeated requests.  He teaches us to pray persistently.  This also takes self-discipline.  It's discouraging to pray for many years and still see no answer, but I believe that God always answers in His own time and in His own way.  I have to keep remembering that He never makes a mistake and that His way is always best.

As most of us have learned, anything worthwhile in life requires some measure of self-discipline.  We find this true in the physical realm as we diet, exercise, etc. in order to be more physically fit.  Why not strive for spiritual fitness as we seek to walk in obedience and fellowship with God, and as we "pray without ceasing."

I just wanted to share something of what works for me.  I pray it will be of some encouragement to you.

Hazel Robertson