Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Oswald Chambers
First in the Morning
I remember hearing Dr. Lutzer of Moody Church say that before he gets out of bed, he prays, “God, how can I glorify You today in my life? Glorify Yourself, even if it’s at my expense.” What a humble prayer that is but the point is the very first thing that Dr. Lutzer does, even before getting out of bed, is to pray. That’s a vital sign of a good prayer life.
Prayer Journals
I can’t remember things as well as I used to so I started writing things down, and I also started using a notebook binder to start recording my prayers. What I found was in a few months, and even years, I can look back and see how faithful God has been in answering so many prayers. Sometimes His answer was better than what I prayed about, but anyone that writes down prayer requests or keeps them in a journal (doesn’t have to be fancy) is certainly having a good prayer life.
Praying Always
The Apostle Paul says “pray without ceasing” (1st Thess 5:17), but this doesn’t mean we should quit our jobs and enter a monastery and pray hours upon hours. I think the Apostle is telling us to pray as often as you can and at every opportunity that you can, because it is vital to the believer’s life. I notice people with good prayer life’s always end up saying, “Let’s pray about this” before they take action or make a decision. Sadly, I sometimes forget this, but prayer warriors won’t!
Praying for Others
James says “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16), and so keep “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Eph 6:18), so pray for one another but also for those in authority.
Conclusion
If you have a good prayer life, then you’re probably praying first thing in the morning and last thing at night; you’re writing down your prayer requests and the prayer requests of others; you’re praying as often as you can; and you are praying for others more than yourself. These are signs of a good prayer life.
