Prayer & Dedication

We are another day in on our “Loving to Talk to God” Bible Memory Challenge. We have reached DAY #6. If you just joined us, find the Memory List here.

If you are having trouble memorizing the Bible verses, try writing them out on an index card a few times. That usually helps me.

Today our thought to think about in relation to our memory verse is, Prayer takes dedication.

DAY #6 MEMORY VERSE

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Mark 1:35

Prayer Takes Dedication

In this verse, the “he” it is referring to is Jesus. This is another one of those passages where Jesus is traveling with His disciples. On this day, our verse says Jesus rose early to pray.

Sometimes that is what it takes to get something done. It takes dedication. It takes a few extra steps. It takes a little planning. It takes a little forethought.

That is what our prayer life requires. Sure, we can pray in quick moments. We can pray when in serious situations. We can pray in those times of need. But we have to learn to have a constant and continual prayer life. We have to make it an integral part of our daily lives. We have to work at it!

There are so many things we add to our daily calendars. Prayer should be on our list somewhere or we may forget about it.

Think about all the apps we open on our phones just in one day. It may be things like our bank app, the weather app, or social media apps. It may be shopping apps. It could be texting and messaging apps. It could be anything, but the point is, we take the time to place our fingers on it, click and see what’s going on, shop, scroll, text, and other things. We have to place our hands on prayer during our daily routine as well.

A dedicated prayer life will help us so much. It will draw us closer to God. It will help us to be able to express our wants and desires. It will help us plead for the souls of family and friends. It will help us with our anxieties. So many benefits of having a dedication to prayer!

Just setting a daily time for prayer helps me. I usually get up early when my husband goes to work and when he leaves is when I have my Bible reading and prayer time. I may pray at other times of the day, but knowing that regular chat time with the Lord is waiting for me in the mornings is something that is really special to me.

We all need that alone time with the Lord. Part of our memory verse says Jesus went to a “solitary place” when He prayed. So, at times, even Jesus needed His alone time to pray.

And I think about how my morning prayer time probably helps anybody around me too, because when I grab that time early it helps adjust my attitude for the day. Yep! I tend to be nicer once I’ve had my prayer time. Chatting with the Lord has a tendency to calm me and also lift me up as I head into my day.

Things that have helped me be more dedicated to prayer are just using simple things. I change them up here and there when I feel like I need a boost to my prayer life. Here are several to try.

Changing Up Your Prayer Time

Choose a specific time (or try a new time if your usual time isn’t working).
Choose a specific quiet place (or try someplace new if you are in a rut).
Make a prayer journal.
Make a prayer list.
Record prayer request dates and answered dates.
Intermingle prayer with Bible reading.
Study verses on prayer in the Bible.
Find and study the prayers of biblical characters.
Pray aloud from time to time.
Pray in different positions from time to time (sitting, standing, on your knees).
Use your hands differently during prayer (lift them, clasp them, cover your face).
Sing a song of praise during your prayer time.
Find specific people with specific needs for which to pray for a limited time.

Download this list here. (pdf)

Sometimes giving just a little bit more thought to anything can make a big difference. I encourage you to try a few little changes and see what a huge difference it can make in your prayer life.

We all know that in relationships alone it is the little things that make the difference. Big, grand, but rare gestures, don’t usually accomplish so much. Our prayer lives are a part of our relationship to the Lord. We have to hone in on little changes to our prayer life in order to make it a dedicated part of our lives. We have to take those extra little steps to make sure prayer happens throughout our week. We have to show some dedication to our communication with the Lord.

That dedication is going to help us on our journey to “Loving to Talk to God” on a continual basis.

Alright. It’s your turn to share. Do you have a dedicated prayer time? Dedicated place of prayer? What things do you do to make sure your prayer life happens? Tell us in the comments on this post.

Have a lovely day,
Julia

2022 Bible Memory Challenge

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