Oh, how hard it is to face unanswered prayers! P.T. Forsyth observes, “We shall come one day to heaven where we shall gratefully know that God’s great refusals were sometimes the true answers to our truest prayer.” Today ask the Lord to give you discernment and patience regarding any of your seemingly unanswered prayers. ......

When we pray for ourselves, that is petitionary prayer. When we pray for others, that is intercessory prayer. We need not feel selfish when we go before God with our requests because we are dependent on God for his help. Jesus urges us to ask, search, and knock in Matthew 7:7-8. Today, go before the Lord bringing your deepest needs to him knowing that he cares for your needs deeply and it delights...

Ignatius of Loyola says, “Everything that one turns in the direction of God is prayer.” When we do an action out of love of the Father, this is prayer in action. Consider away that you could pray with action by loving someone else with the love of God by serving them. ......

This prayer seeks to see God in the ordinary aspects of life, not just the obviously spiritual times. We can pray where we work and play. Paul encourages, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Today, as you work and play doing ordinary things, pray in moments you can grab thanking God and interceding for how he is working in your daily li...

We can begin Contemplative Prayer beginning with recollection, which means centering ourselves on God and letting go of distractions. Then we can enter into the next step, which is the Prayer of Quiet, or listening stillness with a teachable spirit. As we listen to God, we can experience God in incredible ways. Today, practice Contemplative prayer by recollecting and entering into the Prayer of Qu...

With this type of prayer, we experience silence, which requires discipline and practice. In the silence, we pay attention to our God who loves us and experience his presence. In Isaiah, God says, “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live” (Isa. 55:3). Today, spend time abiding in loving union with the Lord in contemplative silence.......

Foster says, “just as we believe God can take our reason (fallen as it is) and sanctify it and use it for his good purposes, so we believe  he can sanctify the imagination and use it for his good purposes” (148) Today meditate on Jesus’ words in John 14:27 seeking what God would have your heart to know in those words. ......

When we are grounded by the Word of God, we can enter into the Holy Spirit, in communion with him. We can meditate on scripture and internalize its personal message to us. We can ponder God’s Word in our heart like Mary did (Luke 2:19). Today, read Psalm 119:97 & 103 and ask God to give you the desire to meditate on his word and apply it to your heart. ......

The Prayer of the Heart is also often referred to as “Abba Prayer.” Abba the sweet, precious name that Jewish people would give to fathers. And it is the name Jesus gives to his heavenly father. Just as God so tenderly refers to us as his beloved, we can tenderly refer to him as Abba. Today, enter into Prayer of the Heart by repeating the prayer, “Abba, I belong to you.” ......

The Holy Spirit is the initiator of the Prayer of the Heart. When words fail, the Holy Spirit takes over and expresses what we cannot. By allowing the Holy Spirit to take over, we can experience his presence in fresh ways. Today, allow the Holy Spirit to move you closer to the Lord’s heart as you ask the Lord “to kindle a fire of love within you” (142). ......

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Strong advice from Paul, but how is this possible with all of life’s demands? As we build habits of praying consistently, prayer becomes easier and brings “peace to the chaos” (124) by experience God’s continuous presence. One way to step into unceasing prayer is by finding a constant reminder you encounter that can draw you into prayer like spotting your fa...

When we partake in sacraments of baptism and communion, we are taking part in prayer, too. In communion, we pray in examination of our sins, are led to repentance, are reminded of forgiveness in Christ’s shed blood, and we are also led to thanksgiving and celebration. Christ is present among us in a special, mysterious way. These sacramental prayers are done with the body of Christ, not alone. It’...

Written prayers, or liturgy, allow us to pray with community and with classic writers of such prayers. They can guide our minds and hearts toward God differently than praying spontaneously. Ancient believers prayed with the Psalter and the Shema (Deut. 6:4). When we pray liturgical prayers either from God’s Word or from sources like the Book of Common Prayer, we are praying with followers from gen...

Sabbath keeping is a sweet gift from God that allows for rest. This is not outdated, but as the Hebrew writer reminds us, “a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9.) Holy Leisure is defined as “a sense of balance in life: activity and rest, work and play, sunshine and rain" (98). Today, enter Holy Leisure by doing something life-giving and restful to you. While you do that, as...

Rest is needed as the chaos of life takes its toll on our mind, body, and spirit. Jesus bids us, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).  Practice the Prayer of Rest today by finding a place to enter solitude. Meditate on the words: “Be still... Rest... Shalom.” ......

Remember how Jesus was moved by the woman who washed her Master’s feet with her tears, or the woman who used costly oil on Jesus’ head. The Lord is also moved when we lavish him with adoration. Praise is the “serious business of heaven” (84). Today, read Rev. 5:11-12 and then spend time praising God and reflecting on what heaven will be like to worship him like that. You could choose to listen to ...

The Prayer of Adoration “is the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, magnify, and bless God” (81). Foster calls this “selfless devotion. We ask for nothing but to cherish him.” Praise and adoration is different than prayers of thanks because thanksgiving can often bring the focus back to ourselves and what God is doing for us. Adoration is set on who he is. Psalm 34:1 declares, “I will bl...

Psalm 57:7: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” Commitment and duty might feel like the opposite of freedom. But when it comes to prayer, commitment brings freedom. We can cultivate the habit of directing our heart and mind toward God by taking every opportunity to pray throughout the day: “I love you, Jesus. Show me your way today.” Experiment today by scheduling time to pray in this w...

Foster explains that Covenant Prayer leads the heart to a “God-intoxicated life” (74). Covenant Prayer vows to respond to our Covenant God in obedience. God has made life-giving covenants with his people throughout time, with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. And he has made with us the New Covenant in Christ’s shed blood. While our God is faithful to keep his covenants, it is not easy for us to ke...

We are both pursuing God and being pursued by God. We pursue God as we press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:14). Spiritual disciplines help us in that pursuit. God pursues us as he molds us like clay into who he wants us to be (Isaiah 64:8).  Today as you pray, envision God, the Master Potter, molding you like warm clay in his hands, and pray this prayer. “Dear Lord Jesus, in my better moments I want...