It was my freshmen year at Bible College. It seemed every chapel message and every class was on “walking with God”. I was convinced of the truth of these messages, so if it were true then it must be done. I lived in a dorm room with three roommates, so praying in my room was not feasible. I decided to wake up early each morning and go into the storage closet on the dorm floor to have privacy in prayer. I was so pumped and not a little proud of the spiritual heights I was about to reach. The first morning I got up, went into the closet and read my Bible easy enough, I loved reading the Bible. Then I positioned myself around boxes of stored Christmas decorations, got on my knees with my prayer list ready and began, “Heavenly Father, I come to you….” an hour later I was startled awake by the hallway door being slammed. As I wiped the drool from mouth, it dawned upon me that I had been “asleep in Jesus”. Now time for classes, I arose dejectedly, humbled, mad at myself and headed to class. This craziness happened day after miserable day. And each day “walking with God” was preached in chapel a despair rose over me.

When praying in the closet did not work out, I moved the location to under the stairwell. When that did not work, I took to walking around the campus to pray (surely I could not fall asleep while walking). Though the fight was on, by the help of God, I did not grow weary in well doing and I just resolved that even if I never prevailed in prayer, I would never give up the battle of fighting to pray. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Our Father, who is kind beyond measure met me in my weakness, and is even to this day teaching me to pray and enabling me to continue the fight to pray. Because we can do nothing eternal or right or spiritual in our own strength or by our own intelligence, we must learn to pray and pray about everything. As we go to church, as we feast on His Words, it is by God’s response to our prayers that eternal things are done. It is by God’s response to our prayers that battles are fought and won. It is by God’s response to our prayers that relationships are salvaged, repaired and victorious. It is by God’s response to our prayers that the milk of the Word can nourish and grow the believer.

Our Father’s ears are opened to us, His eyes are upon us, His thoughts are toward us and He longs to move, to work, to answer; ours is to pray.

1. Set a time to pray and prepare to engage in the battle of the ages to keep that time. Remember, the victory is in the fight.

2. Have a place to pray and consecrate it for that purpose.

3. Begin your time of prayer by calling out Jesus’ name for strength to pray.

4. Next, begin by thanking our Father for everything good in and around your life. By praise and thanksgiving the spiritual obstacles to pray are cast down.

5. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal all sins to you that are unconfessed; then confess and repent of all that comes to your mind. Come clean with God.

6. Last, 1Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

To prepare for His Kingdom and live for His glory the true believer must pray, pray aright, pray always and continue in prayer following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ.