James 5:13
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
Prayer is defined as a devout petition to God or an object of worship. (www.dictionary.com)
When I read this I hear that praying is asking God for something. But, prayer can't just be for the broken and needy can it?
I definitely use the prayer of petition on 99.9% of my prayer occasions. This prayer usually surfaces when something is going wrong in my life. I prayed this prayer for boyfriends when I was younger, getting me out of webs I had weaved my way into and when I was so broken I couldn't see straight this prayer was my refuge. As I get older and more mature I am finding that I am less and less a woman of frantic petition prayer and unfortunately this has led me to being a woman of irregular prayer as well.
Thankfully, in my moment of prayer petition to God, asking Him to give me prayers when my world isn't falling apart he revealed to me James 5:13. I read what I normally hear about prayer "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." but then just after I read "Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." I should have known that God had put it right there in front of my face where I should have tripped right over it. When I am happy, satisfied and blessed by God I should sing songs of praise!
For those of you who find it difficult to remember to pray when there isn't something tugging at your heart or those of you who can't find the words to pray when you aren't in need there are some easy tips and outlines you can follow to help. No, God is not upset if you schedule time for prayer, or even if you structure prayer; God is delighted that you, his daughter, wants to speak to Him and be in relationship with Him!
First, many of you may be used to praying a standard repetitive prayer. It may have been an easy way for you to begin a routine of prayer and that is great, but God truly desires a personal relationship with you and that can't be done with repetition. Just imagine if you called your best friend and you said the exact same words to one another every time you spoke! You would never really know one another and would be wasting both of your time. So put your heart out there, and say what is right there on the tip of it. (Matthew 6:5-7)
Second, God so longs to be your friend, your Father, your intimate partner. It may be difficult to truly feel that way but He does. The more you talk to Him and listen for Him to speak back and the more honest and regular your conversations, the closer and more intimate you will be with Him. Just imagine your relationship with your best of friends or spouse. How did you become so close? This is the same intimacy God desires with you.
Thirdly, here is an outline to help you cover more than your current daily needs. It is called the AWCIPA prayer.
A - Adoration - Give thanks to the Lord and spend time praising His works
(Ex. Thank you Lord for being so loving and patient. Thank you for providing beauty in nature and lovely weather)
W - Waiting - Give the Lord a chance to speak to you. If you find your mind wandering while you are sitting in silence you can think of a single word to say in your mind such as Jesus or Hallelujah.
C - Confession - Confess your sins to the Lord and be honest because he already knows. You do not have to limit confession to big things such as theft and murder, you can confess gossip, raising your voice, lack of time reading the Bible or anything else that you know may plague you even in a small way.
I - Intercession - Prayer for others. Ask for prayer for your pastor, your government, those in need overseas, the military or friends and family members.
P - Petition - This is your chance to pray that prayer you are used to praying. It is not a bad thing to bring your wants and needs to the Lord. He is there for you, as your Father and wants to know all the desires of your heart.
A - Adoration - End your prayer in thanksgiving to the Lord again. Sometimes just saying "Lord, thank you for giving me the wisdom of how to pray to you Lord and the ability to have a personal relationship with you"
Here is an easy to print out version of the AWCIPA prayer with some scripture attached.
http://home.earthlink.net/~occhristian/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/awcipa_prayer.pdf
Dear Lord, thank you SO much for your inspiration with these weekly devotions. I hope that these words will enter the hearts of every woman who reads them and that they will be able to feel your desire for an intimate relationship with each one of them. Thank you for making us unique and special in your eyes and thank you for knowing all of those special parts of our hearts. Please continue to work in our hearts and our mouths to bring you words of praise as well as petition Lord. In your holy name I pray, Amen.
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