Practicing Prayer

My brain is feeling a bit fuzzy and muddled right now because I have spent the majority of the afternoon making lesson plans for school.  Accomplishing that in three different grades is almost impossible!!! But I still enjoy it!  It's like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, and I know that once I get it all fit just right, I will rejoice! :)

God has been working in my heart this last week on the topic of prayer.  Can I just reveal two little secrets here? Secret 1: Prayer takes a lot of self-discipline.  Secret 2: I am not a very self-disciplined person.  These two secrets make a huge problem!!!  In the last 2 or 3 weeks, God has answered some big prayers of mine, but in the last 2 or 3 weeks, I have also received 2 more big things to pray about!!! It is encouraging to see God answer prayer in such an awesome, only God could have done that way, but it has also reminded me that prayer is an important assignment and responsibility given to me by a most High God.

Here are a couple of ways I have been trying to practice prayer.  Maybe you can try them or even add a few more ideas to the list!

1.  Just do it!  Like I said before, prayer requires self-discipline.  It is one of those things that you just need to do.  Put aside all excuses and make it a priority. We make time for what we really want to do.

2.  Set aside a certain time every day to spend time in prayer.  I have decided that 6 AM  is my time.  I wake up, make myself some coffee or juice, and either go for a walk or sit in my comfy chair and spend the next 15 minutes praying.  I know...I know....15 minutes is shabby, but it is a start. (Just as a side note: I do try to pray throughout the day while cleaning, nursing the baby, etc, but I feel I need a more focused time as well.)

3.  Remember God desires this time with me.  He longs for me to talk to Him and to tell Him what is going on.  He wants to hear my heart, and as my Father, He LOVES to answer my prayers!  

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
~Matthew 7:7, 8 & 11

4.  Prayer is not meant to be a time of listing all my wants or needs.  It is meant to be a time of tuning my desires with God's - a time to search God's heart.  It is also a time to worship, praise and give thanks to this wonderful Savior of mine.

There is so much more I could say about prayer and how God is speaking to me about it, but this is a great start!  How have you been practicing prayer?  I'd love to hear!  Happy Monday to you!