Prayer is the most basic and widely practiced of all spiritual disciplines. Adherents of nearly every religion—and many nonreligious people—pray. About 84 percent of adults do it every week.
Most of our prayer is some form of asking for help, which could be why it often becomes repetitive, stale, and boring. In time we feel unable to hear the voice of God.
I had been a sporadic journaler for years when my wife, Heather, suggested I try the discipline of daily writing using the free platform 750words.com.
I was reluctant at first, listing all the reasons why I, a writer, didn’t need to write every day.
My wife, Heather, discovered the discipline of daily writing while completing a graduate degree in creative writing. A favorite professor urged her to write at least 750 words a day, and Heather enthusiastically gave it a try.
I liked the idea but was skeptical it could work for me. I had my reasons.
Irecently watched a famous pastor exegete an Old Testament passage. I hollered to Patrick (my theologically astute hubby) to watch it with me because I started feeling ill at ease about it.
We watched, then cringed, then talked.
Pursuing God every day through personal spiritual disciplines is the backbone of Christian spirituality. This is the single most effective thing you can to do know God more intimately, experience his presence, and grow spiritually.
Yet many people find the pursuit of God a difficult habit to establish. I know I did.
Humility may be the most difficult virtue to acquire because we fear it at the same time we seek it. While we may say we’re trying to be humble, we instinctively avoid things that would make us so. Everyone wants to be humble; nobody wants to be humbled.
I learned the difference one Sunday when I delivered what I thought was a powerful sermon on self-sacrifice.
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Many people wonder why they never hear the voice of God, and the answer is simple: The TV is too loud. The noise and clutter we create in our lives often drowns out the voice of God.
Impossible? Not really. We expect God to claim our attention in dramatic ways, like parting the Red Sea or walking on water. But most of the time God uses his indoor voice—a gentle whisper. The reason we often can’t hear it is that we’re too busy talking.
