Growing in Prayer Devotional. By Mike Bickle
VERY SIMPLY, PRAYER is “talking with God.” And a consistent prayer life is something you want to cultivate or else you wouldn’t have picked up this devotional.
Although most believers are aware that the Lord is calling them to grow in their prayer lives, somehow other things always seem to get in the way.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit will help all of us who desire to pray more effectively.
For our part, we must ask Him for help, put into practice the biblical principles related to prayer, and stick with the process, even when we feel as if it isn’t working.
As a young man, I knew I needed to grow in prayer. I read books about prayer and revival, and knew my own prayer life was lacking. I wanted to experience the deep things of God, so I determined to spend an hour in prayer each night, even if it killed me.
I referred to that hour of prayer as the hour of death because it was so boring. I exhausted everything I could think to pray about in two minutes. How in the world would I fill in the remaining fifty-eight minutes?
I had the idea that prayer was complicated, mysterious, and difficult, but on my journey of growing in prayer, I found that it is instead simple, immensely practical, and often very enjoyable.
Prayer can take many forms, but all prayer is essentially a two-way conversation with the Lord that has real, life-changing results.
Enjoyable prayer is prayer that refreshes our hearts and invigorates our spirits. Imagine what it is like for prayer to be enjoyable! We will want to engage in it continually.
Only enjoyable prayer is prayer that is sustainable. On the other hand, if it is not enjoyable, we will only pray intermittently—or not at all.
Being a person of prayer is the highest calling in one’s life. Not every believer is called to preach, but every Christian is called to pray. Prayer is essential for our spiritual well-being. It is not an optional activity.
This book is not intended to be an exhaustive resource on prayer but rather a practical daily devotional to guide you into the foundational truths about prayer: why God ordained it, how we do it, how we grow in it, what it accomplishes, and so forth.
Don’t rush through this book. Take each devotional one day at a time. Savor what you learn on each page and ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply the lessons to your life. Each devotional is followed by a corresponding scripture and a Prayer Starter to jump-start you on your new journey into the prayerful life.
Remember, when we pray we are not just reciting rote catechisms; we are communing with the Creator of the universe—the omnipotent One—who delights to hear from us and longs to share life with us.
