You Are Called to Pray. By Mike Bickle
As it is the business of tailors to mend clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.
—MARTIN LUTHER
WE BEGIN OUR journey of growing in prayer (and intimacy with God) by acknowledging that prayer is not only for beginners but also for mature believers. Otherwise, there would be no point in trying to grow in it!
The Lord calls every believer to a life of prayer—no matter how long he has been saved or how experienced he is in this discipline. The best thing all of us can do to improve ourselves, our lives, and our relationships is to grow in prayer.
Jesus made it clear that we cannot walk in the fullness of our destinies in God without growing in prayer. He said that unless we abide in Him, we can do nothing related to bearing fruit for His kingdom or maturing in our spiritual lives (John 15:5).
How do we abide in Him? The core activity of abiding in Christ is prayer—simply talking to Jesus.
Because we are not the source of spiritual life ourselves, we cannot generate it, nor can we receive it unless we abide in Christ. Just as it is impossible for us to jump a hundred feet even if we push ourselves, it is impossible for us to generate spiritual life.
It is not an issue of practice; we were not created to be able to jump a hundred feet! And neither were we created to have Spirit-life while living independently of the Spirit. We must abide in Christ and grow in prayer to make our lives work.
The Holy Spirit will move in a new and powerful way in your heart and life as you take time to grow in prayer. The change may not happen overnight, but it will most certainly happen. The discipline of prayer will eventually become delight in prayer.
Dryness in prayer will gradually be replaced by a vibrant dialogue with God that will change your life and result in many answered prayers.
I invite you to begin the next stage of your journey in prayer right now. There is no better time than today. Do not wait for a special spiritual experience to begin to grow in prayer. We grow in prayer by actually praying.
Beginners in prayer mature simply by praying more. It is the same principle we embrace when learning to play a musical instrument—we become better the more we practice.
WHAT CAN I DO?
One step you can take that will help you grow in prayer is to set a schedule for regular prayer times. A schedule establishes when you will pray, and it will help you to be consistent in talking to Jesus.
You must not limit your prayer life to your scheduled prayer time, and you may never keep more than 70 percent to 80 percent of your scheduled times of prayer.
But I have found that I pray much more consistently if I block out time on my schedule that is devoted to spending time with Jesus.
FOR REFLECTION
“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Lord, forgive me for not realizing how essential prayer is to my spiritual growth and for not making it a priority in my life.
Help me to set aside time daily for focused communication with You.
Mike Bickle
Mike Bickle directs the International House of Prayer, an evangelical missions organization based on 24/7 prayer with worship. Mike is also the founder of International House of Prayer University—which includes full-time schools of ministry, music, and media—and is the author of several books.
