Prayer (Part 1)

As BemaLife presses on to be a relevant community of collage-ager’s connected to Christ in 24-7 prayer, I thought we should dive into it a bit. To be quite honest, I am not much of a prayer warrior. Since reading a book called, Redmoon Rising, this last March I have been captivated by prayer. I’ve been praying more here and there, but I haven’t jumped in like I’ve really wanted to. I’m a little affraid, and I’m not really sure why. Anyway, I don’t have a ton of experience in prayer but it’s time to learn (heck, I’m renting an apartment specifically for it!).  I read this sweet article about prayer and I want to share it’s five parts over the next five days. I want it to be a starting point for me, the ministry of BemaLife, and anyone who’s interested in knowing more about prayer. Here’s the article entitled Prayer: How Real Is It? and a link to its source:

Some of us grew up reciting prayers. Whether they were verses from the Bible that were handed down to us or our own prayers, we found ourselves repeating them at meals or before going to bed. They became a comforting tradition. For others, prayers were offered up only during a time of great need. We expected God to show up when we needed Him.

What we don’t always realize is the point of prayer. Prayer is not designed to be a ritualistic endeavor that leaves us disconnected and unable to truly encounter the fullness of God. Prayer is to be a dynamic conversation with a living God who wants to see our hearts open to receiving all He has for us.

Just like with friendships, where conversations deepen as we cultivate the relationship, a conversation with God needs the same attention. Unfortunately, most overlook this reality. According to a 2005 study conducted by The Barna Group, when asked how well one lives out his or her faith principles, 37 percent of people said they do an above-average job, 55 percent claimed to be average, and only 8 percent admitted to being below average. “Americans are generally satisfied with being ‘average’ in their spiritual maturity,” George Barna says. “That betrays the fact that we do not serve an ‘average’ God, or one who is honored by people who are lukewarm about their faith.” So what’s really holding us back from maturing in our prayer life? How can someone who’s never prayed, or someone who’s drifted away from God, begin to take his or her faith in a new direction?

Because this blog hasn’t been up for too long, I’m not expecting a huge conversation on this. That said -as we start our journey in prayer- I would still love to hear what you think about this intro piece on prayer. Feel free to leave a comment!

Your Bro In JC,
~Josh 

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