While praying gracefully is a skill which takes a good deal of time to cultivate, there's a particular phrase you can add promptly to all of your prayers to magnify their power. I've got a confession to make. For some time, I did not believe that I knew methods to pray very well. This feeling began with a relatively anemic prayer life as a Catholic and was enhanced by listening to other individuals pray well in Presbyterian communities! Now it is true that there is no “right” way to pray. However, you will probably find yourself wanting to pray more eloquently at some point. Being around other Christians, I started coming in contact with a better kind of prayer. In small group surroundings, in discipleship morning events, as well as at Church every Sunday, I could experience the ways that other, more mature, Christians, put their words together and I was humbled! An in-depth decision to learn to pray well was ignited inside me. Their eloquent words appeared to deliver prayers that carried more depth and meaning than my typical process which included phrases such as “Lord, let me have a good day at work today” and “God, help my kids learn about You”. Again, there is nothing wrong with these prayers… I simply knew I desired more! So, I began listening intently to the words of other praying Christians, wishing that some of their terminology would infiltrate mine. Needless to say, it is a process that needs time to work, investment in reading and knowing the Bible, and praying out-loud along with other Christians. Yet, there's one VERY SIMPLE technique you can think about incorporating today with each of your future prayer requests. That straightforward step is to add the following words at the conclusion of all of your prayers: ...in Jesus’ name, Amen. I would hear this phrase when other Christians prayed. I knew I liked it. But I really didn't recognize its substance fully until once when I was studying my Bible. On that day, I discovered this particular quote from Jesus (John 14:12-14): ...And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Coming across this passage not only educated me on why I heard this phrase so often, but it also highlighted for me the POWER of speaking these words in prayer. Jesus Himself utters these words… I am unable to imagine a better source for not only the advice itself, but also the consequences tied to the action. Particularly, the part where Jesus says...I will do it. As expected, there are iterations of this saying that capture the intent (e.g., in His precious name, in the name of Your Son, etc.). The key is to offer all your future prayer requests with this tagline. And afterwards, watch Jesus work to deliver your biggest needs and desires. Please visit my FREE ministry site at OnlinePrayerJournal.com for lots of tools to help accelerate your spiritual growth!
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