Monday, September 25, 2023

This weekend as we continued our series, Unfazed, we had the privilege of hearing from our own campus pastors. CedarCreek has an amazing pastoral staff, and they were able to share a bit of their hearts as they delivered this week’s message on how to develop prayer rhythms that refocus our attention on God. The bottom line:

Prayer is easier than you think and more important than you realize.

Is prayer challenging for you? Do you avoid praying because you do not have confidence in your praying ability?

Well, if this is you, this week’s message laid out clear-cut steps to help. To get started, we need to discover what prayer is and what it is not.

Prayer is not transactional—it is not bargaining with God. It is not making demands of him, nor is it a tool to show others how spiritual we are.

Prayer is a way to acknowledge who’s in control. It is a way to express our gratitude and confess what is going on in our lives. It is a way to focus on God and not ourselves. Simply put, prayer is talking and listening to God.

Jesus made his prayers relational and personal. He spoke to God as he would speak to a friend. Prayer is not meant to be ritualistic, reciting the same things over and over.

Matthew 6:7
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.”

Just as we feel more connected to people when we spend more time with them, the same is true with God. So how do we accomplish this? The pastors unpacked three ways that refocus our attention on God.

• Have a time. When are you praying? Jesus prayed all throughout the day, and the following verse gives us only one example of when he prayed.

Mark 1:35
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

• Have a place. Where are you praying? Do you have a quiet place to pray? It is easier to connect with God when you remove the distractions.

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

• Have a plan. A plan will help you refocus your prayer life. Jesus gave his disciples a plan for prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

¹⁰ Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is an excellent example of the PRAY acronym, which we will unpack in the LivingItOut this week. Continue reading each day to learn more about:

P – Praise;

R – Release/Repent;

A – Ask;

Y – Yield.

Questions:
Has your busy schedule fractured your connection with God?

Does your mind wander when you pray?

How much time are you spending with God?

Next Steps:
Take this challenge: If you go one day without praying, don’t go two. The easiest way to establish a rhythm of connection with God is by downloading our app on your digital device and clicking on Daily. The app will guide you through steps like:

• What are you grateful for?
• Pray alongside your community.
• Submit a prayer request.
• Read the daily LivingItOut.

Prayer:
Dear Almighty Father, thank you for giving us an outline of how to connect with you. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for the faithfulness of forgiving our sins. Thank you for giving us everything we need in good times and in bad times. Grant us the wisdom and discernment to accept your will and timing for our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

John 14:26
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

This post was written by Jenn Macke, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.