Prayer

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-21

How

Should

I Pray?

Prayer is central to the life of the believer. Jesus teaches us to pray, models what a life of prayer looks like, and invites us today to engage in prayer as a way of existing. Paul challenges the church in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing. What?! How is this possible?

In a world of notifications, overbooked calendars, never-ending to do lists, etc., making time to pray seems more and more difficult by the day. Jesus is routinely waking up before sunrise to spend time in the presence of the Father. We believe starting from that place, the first-fruits of our time, is a great way to get our minds and hearts in a position to pray throughout the day.

We would challenge you this next week to try this a few times. Wake up early, grab some coffee and pray. This can take shape in a variety of ways. Here are some best practices we recommend:

Prayer Journal: write out the things you want to say to God and listen for His response. Test what you feel He is saying against Scripture and write it down so you can refer back to it throughout the day. Another helpful tool is to follow these four movements in prayer journalling: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Download the PDF guide here.

Scripture: read a passage of scripture and pray it to God. Meditate on its truth throughout the day. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21 is a good starting point, “Spirit, I desire to rejoice always. I am in a season of sadness and frustration. Would you replace it with your joy today?”

Worship Music: turn on music that is worshipping God and join in. Reflect on the truth of the words and pray them to God, over your life or others that God places on your heart. King of My Heart by John Mark McMillan is a great song for this practice.

Prayer Requests:

Intercessory prayer is when we pray for one another. Our staff and volunteer team would love you pray for you. Email your requests to prayer@theparksa.org and we will share your requests. Please let us know if you would like your request to remain anonymous.