Prayer is the Best Thermometer

"Prayer is probably the best thermometer you will ever have to measure your growth in Christ. It drives all that is truly spiritual, both in our churches and personal lives." K.P. Yohannan

As I spend more time with the Lord, my time in prayer to Him increases. How can we expect to know God, to understand His Word, to know the path He wants us to take in life if we don't spend time communicating with Him in prayer? I know that often times it can be difficult to pray. We close our eyes and then wonder what to say. Yes, prayer comes easily when things are going wrong in our lives...when a loved one is sick, when we are facing financial challenges or when we are in some type of danger. But what about when everything is going well? Why do we often find it hard to pray?

I think it's partly because we have the wrong view of prayer. We look at prayer as a way to get what we want...healing, a better job, a husband/wife/children, safety, security, comfort. But asking the Lord for things is only part of it.

Intimacy with the Lord really grows when we focus on more than just asking for things from God. We need to focus on praising Him in our prayers. Use Scripture to praise Him for His wonderful qualities. Here is a sheet you can print out that lists some of the attributes of God (holy, just, wise, eternal...) with key verses to pray Attributes of God prayer sheet 

We also need to be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks for everything is both pleasing to the Lord and reminds us of all He has done for us. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is a wonderful book about what it means to live a life of thanksgiving. She challenges her readers to spend the next year writing down 1,000 things to thank God for. It may seem daunting but if you write down daily at least 5 things you are thankful for you will be amazed at how your love for the Lord grows.

Intimacy with the Lord is so amazing and rewarding yet it won't happen without prayer. "The awful truth, whether we admit it or not, is that we don't pray because in our hearts we don't think we need God. We don't know how to pray because true prayer can only originate form a life emptied of self-sufficiency." K. P. Yohannan