“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Martin Luther
There is part of me that finds these words to be motivating and empowering. But there is also a part of me that says “Gee, thanks for the guilt trip, Marty.” Even if you aren’t a Christian, you probably know that prayer is to be a central part of a life devoted to following the ways of Jesus. And yet there is still this sense that prayer is difficult, awkward, laborious, and just plain odd. Many of us likely resonate with what comedian Michael Junior observes about prayer.
Like all things worth pursuing, prayer is something for which we must practice and train. In my experience, people often struggle to pray because they assume that prayer ought not to be a struggle. And that is so far from the truth, that in fact I think you could describe prayer precisely as the act of struggling with God.
If you are interested in growing in the life-giving practice of prayer, listen to this workshop entitled Cultivating a Life of Prayer.
It was recorded at the Olathe Campus during a volunteer training day. In it we explore the purposes, postures, and practices of prayer.
We pray that this would serve to deepen and enrich your prayer life in such a way that our lives would be lived all the more in and before the presence of God.
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Suggested resources for you to further explore the practice of prayer.
A Praying Life by Paul Miller
Prayer by Tim Keller
Valley of Vision by Henry Van Dyke
Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
The Cry of the Soul by Allender and Longman
Answering God by Eugene Peterson