It’s easy to get caught in a routine. Saying prayers before bed or when the day starts is easy but what does it look like to be a person of prayer?  

Prayer is more than reciting a list of requests to God. Prayer includes taking time to not only talk to God, but let God talk to you—it’s about hearing from Him and really listening to what He has to say.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, they had just witnessed Him performing magnificent healings and teachings and they recognized that prayer was His source of power. Whenever He could, Jesus would go to a quiet place to pray. Observing this, the disciples wanted to experience it  for themselves!

Likewise, we need to be people of prayer, hearing what God’s will is and what He wants us to do. Becoming a person of prayer takes time and intentionality; making time spent with God a priority.

God has recently pushed me into a state of great dependency on Him. I simply cannot do what I’ve been called to do with my own strength—I’m completely reliant on Him. As a result, my prayer life has grown tremendously. But I don’t want to just talk to God, I want to hear from God. So I stop and wait.

Often times I turn on worship music and quiet my heart to listen to what God is going to say to me during that time. As I listen and pray to God, I begin to hear God’s truth. His Word always calms my spirit and brings me closer to Him.

Sometimes it’s hard to hear God through prayer, but the more I read His Word, the more I hear His voice in those quiet times. When I’m able to bring to mind the teachings of God in the moments when I need them most, that’s when I experience His Word to be real and active in my life.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” —Hebrews 4:12

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” —Psalm 119:11

The more I put God’s Word in my heart, the closer I experience God to be.

Just a few weeks ago I experienced just how faithful God is when we pray to Him. My wife and I just had our third child, Summer Joy, come into the world. Leading up to the due date, we were headed into what we thought would be my wife’s last doctor appointment before the delivery. But during the appointment the doctor told us that the baby was upside down and if the baby didn’t move into a head down position on it’s own, the doctor would have to move her. This procedure, however, can be very painful for the mother and could cause complications for the delivery, maybe even resulting in an emergency C-section.

A follow-up appointment showed that the baby was not yet head down, but worse, she was stuck in a diagonal position. My wife was terrified of having a C-section but it looked like the doctor would need to take the risk and move the baby.

For two days we prayed hard that God would move the baby, but we also acknowledged that if we did in fact need a C-section, that God would be in control and provide the strength my wife needed. When we went in to have the doctor try to move the baby we found that the baby had miraculously moved into the head down position in only two days, stunning both the doctor and us! We were completely amazed and so thankful that God had heard our prayers and blessed us even when the odds were stacked against us.

Times like this remind me that we are not the ones in control, but we serve a God who is great and He cares for us more than we could ever hope for. These times draw me back to my knees, eager to experience more of His goodness.

“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” —Psalm 23:6

—Demario Davis

Demario Davis is a regular contributor to The Increase, providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Demario’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/demario-davis/     
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