A Healthy Prayer Life

I was in the middle of answering questions about Pastor Ministry Duties for a course I’m taking for Liberty University and the question about having a healthy prayer life came up. Below is my answer for me and how I see keeping my prayer life healthy. I see this as a personal issue because every Christian prays differently. The key point is to have a consistent one.

“A healthy prayer life looks different for each person. I feel that a healthy prayer life for me consists of praying regularly. The Bible says to pray without stopping. I’ve learned over the years that prayer is just talking with God; knowing that it is because of the shed blood of Christ, I can talk with Him anytime I like and/or need. I think a healthy prayer should have four parts to it; Praise, Confession, Intercession, and Thanksgiving. Starting a prayer with giving praise to the God of the university Who came to earth and took my sin on Himself and making a way for me to be reconnected with Him is a no brainer. After spending time praising God causes me to see sins that I have not confessed to Him; so I do that. Once, I’ve confessed and received forgiveness, I ask God for blesses and needs for others first and then for myself last. I pray for my wife and daughter and then for my family; from my family I pray for my church family and friends and then for special needs I know of; lastly, I pray for my needs. After asking God to intercede for others, I can’t help but thank Him for His greatness and His might. For me, having a healthy prayer life means being transparent to my God and speak from my heart because He already knows my thoughts.”

In case you are wondering how often I pray? I pray throughout the day. I start on my way to work. I pray for most of the driving time (about 20 minutes) and once I get to work, I stop. Throughout the day, I’ll pray as God brings needs to my mind. We serve an awesome God; why shouldn’t we want to talk with Him?