The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

Word usage and communication talents. Some people are especially gifted with words, written or spoken. When these people pray out loud, their prayers sound effortlessly eloquent. Depending partly on the attitude of the person praying, these words may inspire or intimidate. A person with these talents must yield them to God for His constructive use. By the way, for those who do not possess these talents, the more time you spend reading Scripture, particularly the Psalms and the prophets, the more you will learn to pray with ver­ bal power. There is power in praying God's words back to Him, so don't be embarrassed about using Scripture as a script. Also there are several published resources that provide suggested prayers to use as a starting point. Music. Singing or instrumental music adds a wonderful dimension to prayer-private or corporate. What are most worship songs but prayers put to music? Purely instrumental music can be an expression of praise to God, both for the performing artist and for listeners. Art. Dare I repeat the adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Yes, art is a form of communication, and since God gave that gift to some of us, we can use it to communicate our hearts to Him and to lead others toward God. Look around and see how God has expressedHimself to us through His artistic creativity. Any artistic form can be an avenue for praise, an expression of joy to God. Consider, as a devotional exercise, creating some work of art with God in mind. Timeliness and orderliness. Some of us naturally use time efficiently and keep things in their place. Such a person prefers an established format or structure for praye1; such as liturgy. Also, time efficiency can help us make time for God in the midst of a busy week. Some of us are not gifted in this area, but all of us must learn to create enough order to keep God's priorities-Himself especially-at the top of the list. Creativity and imagination. A person with these talents may enjoy a free flowing prayer format, with no particular direction or order. His mind may "ping pong" from thought to unrelated thought. Keeping a prayer journal may help him find connections within the flood of thoughts, and can also free him from fear of losing one thought as he moves on to another. Creative people like to experiment and innovate rather than follow standardized or "routine" patterns, such as liturgical prayer. Entrepreneurism. Most entrepreneurs are individuals who take action; they see an opportunity and move on it. Such people easily become frustrated with share-and-wait prayer. But even these movers and shakers can find fresh value in prayer by keeping a prayer journal and letting their prayer times flow out into a list of goals. As you regularly submit your heart to Goel, you will find yourself thinking more like He does. You will begin to under­ stand more clearly His wisdom and vision for the goals He sets before you, both in the small, daily matters, and in large, life-long pursuits. Resist the temptation to expect Goel to catch up with you. Instead, humbly recognize He is the one in the lead, showing the way.