“Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world,” said E.M. Bounds, author of eight classics on prayer, only two of which were published before he died in 1913. I believe he is correct.
I had a grandmother who prayed. I’m still reaping the benefits of her prayers, even though she died thirty-three years ago.
I know of a woman who fervently prayed for her children. She has gone home to heaven, but her prayers live on. I mingle my prayers with hers by praying for the family she left behind. What a privilege to be able to pray—in a sense—with her.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus prayed for the disciples who were in His presence and for everyone who would trust in Him throughout all generations (John 17:20). His prayer is still accomplishing much in the lives of His followers.
I used to think praying should be spontaneous—just say whatever enters your mind. Now I know better. Prayer is a discipline that must be learned and practiced.
I think prayer is one of the most difficult Christian disciplines. I’m sixty-five years old, but I only recently learned how to pray well. I could read my Bible for hours, but praying for more than a few minutes at a time seemed like an impossibility. I wanted to pray longer, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. My mind wandered—a lot. I seemed to pray the same things over and over again, just mindless repetition.
I tried praying on my knees, sitting in a chair, lying in bed, and even going into the bathroom, closing the door, and sitting on the floor. I’d set a goal to pray for a half hour. After praying for everything and everybody I could think of, I’d look at the clock, only to find that I had prayed for less than ten minutes.
I tried using a prayer list. That didn’t work. Going to God with a list of requests never seemed right. And I always felt guilty about those who didn’t make my list.
On May 4, 2018, everything changed, when I began writing down my prayers and using God’s Word as my guide.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor, author and prisoner of war in Nazi Germany, was my example for praying the Word of God. He used the Psalms as his prayer book. Whenever he had a problem or concern, he took his Psalter to a private place and prayed as David did to the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).
In his book, Psalms, The Prayer Book of the Bible, he states, “The phrase ‘learning to pray’ sounds strange to us. But it is a dangerous error…to think that the heart can pray by itself. If we wish to pray with confidence and gladness, then the words of Holy Scripture will have to be the solid basis of our prayer.”
Bonhoeffer’s imprisonment ended in his execution which ushered him into the presence of the God to whom he prayed.
I can’t imagine life without prayer. Praying God’s Word has become one of my favorite things to do. Whenever I can, I slip away to a quiet place, open my Bible and prayer journal, and pray. God is so good. He meets me there every time!
[First published July 2023, The Daily Times]
