Prayer - Habit or Discipline?
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Why do I struggle so much with this thing called prayer? I pray. Often. But I always seem to have questions with prayer. Is it possible that my prayer life was developed more out of habit rather than discipline?
A habit can be defined as an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically. That really does not sound too bad to think of prayer as a habit. This idea that one is in a pattern of praying that is almost automatic. The Bible teaches us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). But this prayer habit seems to mean one will pray without ceasing and without thinking. That's my problem! Too often I begin to pray without thinking. I don't think Who I am pray to, Who I am approaching, Who is listening to me, Who will answer these prayers. Its a habit often done without thought. Please don't misunderstand, I think about God when I pray - its not just empty words, void of thought or feelings or intent. But when I stop and consider who He is, it should cause me to pray differently.
Lord, teach me to pray.
A discipline can be defined as the training that one gives one's self or receives from someone else to accomplish a certain task or to adopt a particular pattern of behaviour, even though one would really rather be doing something else. The problem I have with prayer is that I have not learned this particular behavior; it just became a habit with no intentional growth.
While the habit of prayer can be good, I want the discipline of prayer. I want to learn how to pray not just pray.
So, what is prayer to you? How do you increase in your ability to pray?