(devotional by Whitney Hopler – Contributing Writer for Crosswalk.com)

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t have long stretches of time to send lengthy prayers to God. He hears the short prayers you offer throughout your day – like while you’re driving, exercising, working, or eating – and He’ll answer them, too.

Incorporating brief prayers into your daily life will put you in frequent contact with God, which will make your prayer life rich and full, no matter how busy you are.

Here’s how you can pray as you go through your daily life:

Recognize the opportunities. Know that everything that comes your way is an opportunity for you to pray about something. Realize that tremendous power you have to change the world for the better through your prayers – and decide to use that power to the fullest. Ask God to give you His perspective on the people and situations you encounter so you’ll be motivated to pray for them.

Don’t stop. Think of prayer as something you can do continuously, without stopping. See it as ongoing communication with God. Remember that God is always present with you. Aim to check in with Him often through prayer.

Be natural. Understand that prayer should come as naturally to you as breathing does. Don’t worry about trying to follow any type of formula for prayer; instead, simply pray in the way that works best for you at a particular time. Be assured that God will hear your prayers even if you don’t go to a special place, kneel, close your eyes, speak your prayer aloud, use elaborate language, or pray for a certain amount of time. Relax and focus just on communicating with God in whatever way works best for you.

Be creative. Realize that prayer shouldn’t be boring; it should be enjoyable and interesting. Rather than praying about the same old subjects over and over, pray about new topics, as well. Instead of using the same format for your prayers, mix up the order and change the style for variety. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you pray, so the process will be exciting.

Pay attention. Notice the abundance of opportunities you have to pray all around you, and make a habit of praying as you encounter various needs from people and situations in your life. Instead of just praying about what’s routinely on your mind, make time to pray every time you interact with someone who needs God’s touch or deal with something that could benefit from God’s intervention. Know that the more you pray, the more God will answer and work in the world. Seek to become a significant force for change in your community.

Listen for the Spirit’s prompting. Expect the Holy Spirit to nudge you to pray about people or situations you may never have thought of on your own. Whenever that happens, respond right then, praying while the need is fresh in your mind. Then enjoy watching how God answers your prayers.

Use information from the media. Whenever a news story catches your attention, pray about it. Remember that, while you probably don’t personally know the people involved, they’re real people in real situations that need God’s help. Intercede using the specific details you’ve learned from the news story, asking God to transform the people’s hearts and impact the situations according to His will. Rather than assuming you know the best outcome (such as in the case of a political election), simply pray for God’s will to be done. Be assured that by praying about world events, you’re tapping into real, unlimited power that can change the world for the better in powerful ways.

Shift your prayers. Get out of the rut of praying for the same old subjects over and over again. As you go through each day, deliberately shift from one topic to another so you can touch on a wide variety of subjects, like: family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the government, the war on terror, people of other religions, your church, your small group, your city or county, your children’s teachers and classmates, your upcoming vacation, moral issues, upcoming legislation, and the criminal justice system. Be creative, exploring new ground as you pray.

Make lists. Use lists of various topics to pray about, such as: a list you write of your personal needs, prayer lists you receive from your church or charities or missionaries that detail their current needs, and Bible verses you want to pray. Consider praying through your lists while taking a leisurely walk. After you pray through your lists, keep them for a while to remind you of what you’ve been praying and notice how God has answered.

Use your downtime. Make the most of the downtime you have each day, by praying in situations like: standing in line, waiting in a doctor’s or dentist’s office, sitting in traffic, waiting to be served in a restaurant, cleaning up after a meal, mowing the lawn or working in the garden, listening to music, trying to fall asleep, taking a bath or shower, sitting at the computer, watching your kids play, taking a walk, or watching television. View every moment of downtime you experience as an opportunity to pray.

Pray about whatever comes at you. Whenever life throws circumstances at you for which you’re not prepared, make prayer your first response to them. Instead of letting yourself become overwhelmed, wasting time and energy worrying, or trying to solve problems in your own limited strength, pray when you first encounter challenges to release God’s power into those situations right away.

Ask, seek, and knock. If you’re asking God about something, frame your request in terms of biblical principles to make sure you’re asking according to His will. Seek the answer to your prayer by taking action after you ask. For example, if you’ve asked God to help you become more physically fit (which aligns with the biblical principle of taking care of the body He gave you), seek the answer to your prayer by exercising regularly. Don’t just wait around for God to magically drop the answer in your lap without you doing anything that will move you closer to your goal. Keep knocking on God’s door persistently while you wait for Him to answer your prayers; don’t give up.

Pray the Scriptures. Read the Bible often and meditate on the passages that speak the most powerfully to you. Memorize them, so the Holy Spirit will remind you of them whenever you need to apply their truths. When you pray, do so on the basis of what God has already promised or commanded in the Bible, since that will make your prayers line up with God’s will. Don’t limit yourself just to the Scripture passages you’ve memorized; whenever you read some verses that speak to something you’re currently dealing with, turn that passage into a prayer by personalizing it. Realize that the better you know the Bible, the more specific, wide-ranging, and fervent your prayers can become.

Create a prayer file. Write down various prayer requests on index cards, using one card per request and noting: the nature of the request, the date, and where the request came from. File each request in the appropriate section of your file: things you intend to pray about daily, weekly, and monthly (divide the monthly section into 30 slots so you can pray about a different request each day of the month). Whenever you discover how God has answered a certain prayer request, record the answer on the corresponding card and move the card to a new file – one for answered prayers.

Pray about small things as well as large things. Remember that nothing is too small to pray about; everything is significant to God because it’s a part of your life and He loves you deeply. So go ahead and pray about whatever thoughts and feelings occur to you and whatever experiences you have. Don’t hold back. Make a habit of connecting to God through prayer constantly.

Expect God to answer. Understand that God will eventually answer all of your prayers, but sometimes not in the ways you predict. Be prepared for surprises. Trust God to hear and respond to each prayer – no matter how brief – in the absolute best ways for you and all concerned. Look forward to what God will do!

Adapted from The Ten-Second Prayer Principle: Praying Powerfully as You Go, copyright 2007 by Mark Littleon. Published by Howard Publishing (a division of Simon & Schuster), West Monroe, La., www.howardpublishing.com.

Mark Littleton is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a former pastor and youth pastor. He has authored more than 70 books, which have collectively sold more than one million copies.

(devotional from OurPrayer.org)

The Bible is filled with verses that promise you God’s help in times of trouble. But it’s up to you to activate these promises. Here’s how:

1.    Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s what God wants you to do! “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you” (Psalm 50:15). “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). Like Jesus himself, pray (always!) for God’s will: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14).

2.    Do what God leads you to do. Prayer and faith must never be substitutes for action. The Savior who spent so much time praying also devoted himself to teaching and ministering to people’s needs. James 2:17 reminds us: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

3.    Remember: You cannot harvest unless you first plant seeds. The Message translates Galatians 6:7-8 to read: “Don’t be mislead. No one makes a fool of God. The person who plants foolishness, ignoring the needs of other—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds…But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” What seeds of goodness can you plant today?

4.    Speak God’s promises and blessings into life. Human words have immense power. “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). Our words can bless or destroy. Claim God’s promises as your own (even inserting your name!) and speak them aloud. Here are a few to get you started:

•    “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
•    “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
•    It is God who “forgives all your sin and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3).

Those who pray keep alive the watch fires of faith. For the most part we don’t even know their names. Such is the case of someone who prayed on a day long ago. His name is not important. He is important not because of who he was, but because of what he did.

He went to Jesus on behalf of a friend. His friend was sick, and Jesus could help, and someone needed to go to Jesus, so someone went. Others cared for the sick man in other ways. Some brought food; others provided treatment; still others comforted the family. Each role was crucial. Each person was helpful, but no one was more vital than the one who went to Jesus.

John writes: “So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3, emphasis mine).

Someone carried the request. Someone walked the trail. Someone went to Jesus on behalf of Lazarus. And because someone went, Jesus responded.

In the economy of heaven, the prayers of saints are a valued commodity. John the apostle would agree. He wrote the story of Lazarus and was careful to show the sequence: The healing began when the request was made.

The phrase the friend of Lazarus used is worth noting. When he told Jesus of the illness, he said, “The one you love is sick.” The power of the prayer, in other words, does not depend on the one who makes the prayer but on the one who hears the prayer.

We can and must repeat the phrase in manifold ways. “The one you love is tired, sad, hungry, lonely, fearful, depressed.” The words of the prayer vary, but the response never changes. The Savior hears the prayer. He silences heaven so he won’t miss a word. The Master heard the request. Jesus stopped whatever he was doing and took note of the man’s words. This anonymous courier was heard by God.

John’s message is critical. You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens.

Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God” (Revelation 8:4). Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

One call and heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven.

You are the someone of God’s kingdom. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!

When you speak, Jesus hears.

And when Jesus hears, the world is changed.

All because someone prayed.

(devotional written by Max Lucado from MaxLucado.com)

From
For The Tough Times:
Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope and Healing
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado

(devotional from OurPrayer.org)

Life is filled with stressful situations—you may have noticed this. In fact, some experts believe that the most likely cause of mental and physical problems today is the individual’s failure to cope effectively with stress.

There are two things you can do when you face stress. The first is to take physical action—some movement that lets you utilize that burst of sugar and hormones stress triggers in your body. Throw open a window; take deep breaths; walk briskly around the room. The second is to turn to God.

God loves us unconditionally. We serve a Savior who invites us to bring our stressful situations to Him:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Christ’s invitation is specifically to everyone who is struggling with any kind of stress: all who are weary and burdened. When we listen to his kind words and bring our burdens to him, he provides deep rest for our spirits. He helps us learn how to live in peace and tranquility.

Begin this very day to  “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

(Daily Disciples Devotional from Christianity.com)

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Today, everyone is looking for peace. We want our desires fulfilled and we think that will bring us happiness.  We hear promises of fulfillment on radios, see promises on billboards, become a part of them through television and after hearing these promises enough times, we sing about them and make daily choices because of them.  What is the primary message that these slogans promote?  The answer, “We’ve got what you need.”

Promises, promises!  Promises of a fulfilled life, an improved life, a happier life and a more peaceful life suggest that this life is attainable through the things of this world. Commercials promise that you can “have it your way,” “we do it all for you,” “you asked for it, you got it,” and “you deserve it.” But can these promises really be true? And will these products bring us the peace we are all seeking?

Because of the inability to have these promises truly fulfilled from the world, it then seems hard to believe that all the promises from the Lord will come true. Unlike the promises of the world that are conditioned upon our spending money and time to benefit from their product, Jesus has given us the promises of God, which are free. The Lord does require something from us: our trust, belief and obedience. And in return He promises peace to His people.

Our attitudes, goals and desires should not depend on the promises of the world, but on the promises of the Word. It’s that peace that makes us different and gives us something that others want. That peace will affect the way we live in our actions, behaviors and attitudes. Acts 10:36 says, “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”  Jesus promises us peace, not from this world, but from Him. His promises are not empty slogans but a way of life: for He is the way, the truth and the life.

Do you need to experience His peace today? If so, begin by asking Jesus to fill you with His loving peace. His promises will never fail you.

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God’s Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple. Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.