In these blog posts I have been revealing bits of my most recent Bible study Teach Us to Pray—The Practice of Prayer: Learning to pray from the Lord’s Prayer and teachings of Jesus. From the last post, in Lesson 1 we learn there are two main Prerequisites for a life of prayer: Relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ and Fellowship with God and growing in our faith walk.
Pursuing the second Prerequisite for prayer, we discover that a vital aspect of Fellowship with God is having a heart of love and longing for God. But how do we get that? Are there ways to deepen our love for God? Are there things we can do to nurture a heart of love and longing for God?
Doing Our Part
Yes, there are things we can do to draw closer to God, not just wait for him to zap us to love him more. He is already doing his part drawing us to himself.
One thing we can do is pray the Psalms; they are a wonderful place to nurture such a heart of love and longing for God. This idea is developed in the lesson and an opportunity is given to actually put it into action.
Another thing we can do is form new habits to deepen our fellowship with God. Along with your other daily Bible reading, try starting your time with God each day by reading a psalm. Focusing on God in praise as we approach him in prayer helps us develop love and longing for God. This is vital for a rich prayer life. This and other factors are considered in Lesson 1.
At the end of Lesson 1, there is the first built-in prayer time, as there is at the end of each lesson. This allows you to put into practice things discussed. Learn then do.
Do you need to nurture a heart of love and longing for God? What are you willing to do to accomplish it?
These are a small taste of what is in store in Lesson 1 of Teach Us to Pray. More in the next post.