How to Improve Your Prayer Life


Prayer is a huge part of Christian life, but often times we forget to do it. Why does this happen and how can we fix it?

How often have you heard the phase, “You are in my thoughts and prayers”? It’s usually said after some type of major tragedy. I often wondered what percentage of people who say that actually pray or even give that person a second thought. I know I have been guilty of telling someone I will be pray for you, and then I forgot to actually pray for that person. We get busy, right? We have people to see and places to go. Sure, it’s a kind gesture, but perhaps our words are empty words to attempt to encourage someone in need of hope.

The other thing that comes to mind is, who are they praying to? The topic of prayer is, for the most part, unthreatening in nature as opposed to mentioning the name of Jesus, right? (We must be politically correct these days not to offend anyone.) I have learned over the years to have an audience of one. That One is God. I have come to the realization that seeking human approval is similar to a dog chasing its tail, and I see that all the time with my dog Luke. It may seem to him that he’s gaining ground on his allusive tail, but in reality, he’s just running in circles. So, we may be, in fact, trying to gain approval from a moving target. Therein lies the core of many people’s disappointment, frustration, and emptiness. You may never really know where you stand in the pursuit of human approval.

By making God our focus, we know exactly where He stands because He told us in His word, the Bible. It doesn’t change nor does He change. Hebrews 12:8 tells us, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. In the same book, Hebrews 1:3 also tells us that the “Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

Choosing to believe these words clears up a lot of confusion. We will fall short many times, but we know where we stand with God. As far as the thoughts and prayers, let’s make it a point to actually pray when we say we will pray for those in need of prayer. While reading this the other day, someone in the group shared something that was, in my opinion, quite profound. She said, “I think most people underestimate prayer.”


Let’s not underestimate the power of prayer or His power to answer our prayers.

Devotional Review

1What are some steps that you could take to improve your prayer life?
Make appointments with God! We have appointments for so many things and we make them a priority. Why wouldn't we not do that our creator. The reality is He the one who can provide us with the strength and the answers we need, in His perfect timing!
2Why do we forget to pray?
I believe there are numerous reasons but for the sake of time lets focus on this for now. What do we forget to pray ? We may not want to hear what God has to say. A few months ago, I prayed about something that I thought was a very nice thing to do. Every time I felt God leading me not to do it. I then proceeded to stop praying about it and asked a few friends about it. They said it's a good idea. Great I had my co-signers so to speak. A couple weeks later I prayed again and felt led even stronger to not do it. Thank God I followed His lead. Something occurred related to what I thought for sure was a great idea. Yes, I saw why God kept giving me the impression or prompting not to do it. It was something that I would have never thought of in a million years. God knew it was a bad idea and I'm so thankful I listened. So don't forget or neglect to pray and when God directs you even if you don't understand follow His lead.
3Does prayer affect our lives?
Philippians 4:6 reads " Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done" Yes, prayer impact lives and God wants to hear from us. The next time you begin to worry apply this verse and look at it as an opportunity to pray.