Take Time To Actually Pray

"The great people of the earth today are the people who pray!  I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor those who explain prayer; but I mean those who actually take the time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. That something else is important, very important and pressing, but still, less important and pressing than prayer. There are people who put prayer first, and group the other items in life's schedule around and after prayer. These are the people today who are doing the most for God in winning souls, in solving problems, in awakening churches, in supplying both men and money for mission posts, in keeping fresh and strong their lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field, where the thickest fighting is going on, and in keeping the old earth sweet a little while longer."  S.D. Gordon

A few years ago I discovered the place where persistent prayer took place and yielded results. I learned to pray Scriptures and to pray based on the word of God. I learned to pray specifically, and to pray about everything. I also learned that my prayer could be as effective on the days I didn't 'feel' like praying or when I was more easily distracted. The deciding factor was my choice to separate myself from the other things I could be doing and go pray anyway. Sometimes it was very difficult to get started but I would ask the Holy Spirit to help me, and He would. In those days I found myself spending as much as three to four hours at a time in prayer and intercession. And that time became precious.

Tremendous changes began taking place in me, and by explicit answers to my prayers. I remember thinking that if I had known it could be like this, I would have spent so many hours (which had been previously wasted) in prayer instead. I was truly filled with regret over all the time I could not get back to pray, and all the times I had worried myself into a frenzy instead of putting that energy towards praying about things. If there is a secret to the overcoming Christian life, my experience taught me that it must be spending time getting to know God by studying His word, and then praying according to it.


Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. 
Colossians 4: 2 (AMP)


A few years ago I did a blog series on praying effectively. You can find it here (this link is based on the label applied; be sure to start from the bottom when reading because it does follow an order to be most useful to you).