VERSE OF
THE DAY
How to Create Space for God in Prayer
If you’ve ever wondered whether you had what it takes to develop a solid prayer life, we’re here to tell you that you do!
There’s much to be gained in prayer and the case for prayer practically makes itself. It helps tighten the bond you have with God and tune your ear to hear his voice ever more clearly. Added joy and peace come into your life when you pray.
There are ways to turn prayer into a consistent, flowing conversation between you and God that you just won’t want to stop.
Here are a few ideas to help you create space for God in prayer:
Set a time
Morning person, night owl, play to your strengths and choose a time that gives you the best mix of alertness and quiet. There will be times of course where you will want to stretch and go out of the bounds of your typical schedule, but you will want to focus first on establishing a routine.
Now maybe you’ve had a raging debate in your past about the length of time spent in prayer. A good approach would be to start with 15 minutes. We believe five minutes of worship, five minutes of reading and five minutes of prayer is a great start.
Set a rhythm
Prayer does not have to be limited to you speaking. After all, the desire is to expand your relationship with God. Your rhythm of time spent with him can be a combination of Bible reading, worship, and/or meditation. In fact, God can use these elements to speak right back to you.
TRY THE SOAP METHOD
How do you SOAP? Start with Scripture. Focus in on a specific passage of the Bible. Then Observe. Highlight, underline, note, or if you’re techy, make a photo image of what stands out to you from the passage. Next is the Application. Jot down the ways you can apply the message behind what you’ve read in a practical way. Last, but never least, is Prayer. Thank God for the revelation found and ask for his help in keeping it in your heart.
START WITH A READING PLAN OR THE DAILY VERSE BELOW.
Below you’ll find the verse of the day. If you’d like to dive deeper you can find the chapter this verse is found in and study it a bit more. You can also add a daily Psalm or Proverb to your reading as well.
SOAP EXAMPLE
Scripture
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11
Observation
When we receive the grace and spirit of Christ, we allow Jesus to restore us and give to us eternal life. Our mortal bodies are prone to sin. The allure of sin is that it simply feels good in the moment. And sometimes disobedience is just easier. But what we don't realize is that the temporary satisfaction of sin always takes us further than we want to go and costs us more than we want to pay. When we receive Jesus, his spirit allows us to overcome temptation, giving us life.
Application
How comforting it is to know that Jesus, through his resurrection, conquered not only our past and present sins, but even our future sins? This is the good news of the Gospel. We don’t have to live in guilt, shame, or fear.Consider, each time we say ‘yes’ to something, we’re also saying ‘no’ to something else. In understanding God’s gift of free will, we have the option to sin. If we agree to sin, at that moment we are saying no to God’s plan for our lives. Let’s be encouraged by this as we begin a new week, and challenge one another to say ‘yes’ to God. May we invest in obedience knowing that these choices will bring us closer to Jesus and the abundant life He has always had waiting for us.
Prayer
Father God, Please help me be the best versions of myself this week. Let my weaknesses be strengthened and let me feel the freeing momentum of a life led by the Holy Spirit. Allow me to be vulnerable with my brothers and sisters, and go to them for support and accountability. Lord, expose any areas that I need to say "no" to in order for me to say "yes" to your plan for my life. Amen!