I LOVE to pray, but it hasn’t always been that way.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀To this day, I often find my desire to not pray stronger than my desire to pray. The struggle here is real because the sin in me is real. Can you relate?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Satan wants us to believe prayer is too daunting of a task to make an active habit out of. He often achieves this through me by steering my focus on all the people/relationships/things I should be praying for. As a result, I feel overwhelmed and exhausted by it all instead of excited and ready to tap into the very lifeline God has gifted His children with. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Friends, prayer is not only a privilege, but it is vital to our faith lives!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Finding the time and energy to pray may not come easy, but it truly changes us from the inside-out. Prayer helps us fight our spiritual battles. Prayer heals hearts. Prayer is how we receive God’s supernatural help. Without His aid, we cannot live a life worthy of the gospel. Prayer is too important not to prioritize. It must be central to everything—absolutely everything—we do.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Here are five special ways to prioritize prayer. I pray they bless you and deepen your desire to live in prayer with our Creator!1. Write it down. Instead of trying to remember everything, create categorical lists of the things you need to pray for each week. If you’ve got pages of things to pray for and are feeling overwhelmed, devote each category to a day of the week and commit to praying for everyone and everything within each specific category on the days you’ve set aside for them. As prayers are answered, be sure to cross them off the list. That way, when you look through your journal, you can reflect and rejoice in all God has done!2. Before you spend time in the Word, spend time asking God to open your eyes, ears, and heart to what He wants to teach you. As you pray, focus on shifting your heart into a posture of surrender that is also ready to receive what He has for you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀3. Consider all the different types of prayer. Prayer doesn’t have to be done one way. We have plenty of options! Pray the Scriptures, practice Lectio Divina, give the Ignatian Method a go. Don’t be afraid to try something new. I'm cheering you on!4. Pray in the shower and the car. Let's be honest- sometimes the only alone time we get is in the car to/from work or in the shower. Let’s use this time to our advantage! One of my favorite things to do is play and pray the lyrics of my favorite worship songs as blessings over my family and friends.5. Make prayer your first response. When you feel helpless regarding a certain situation, pray over it. When you see a first responder, pray. When a friend reaches out to you ad is having a hard time with something, pray with/for them. Soon enough, prayer will flow from you like an automated response.
Meet Elle
Emily Lauren Cardel (Elle) lives in Shelbyville, TN with her hubby and best friend Michael, as well as their four-legged fur child, Tucker. She is fiercely passionate about chasing the call of her Creator and constantly finds herself in awe as she watches His vision for Daughter of Delight continue to unfold. In addition to Daughter of Delight, Elle also owns her own wedding planning business,
Elle Cardel Events.
In her free time, Elle enjoys doing all the things; spending quality time with her besties, snuggling on the couch with Michael and pup, four-wheeling and playing with the cows on the Cardel family farm, listening to podcasts, writing, and drinking Fair Trade coffee in its purest form…black!
You can find her on Instagram here and join the Daughter of Delight family here.
