I pray in the am before reading my Bible, before meals, when I need help & before bedtime. Yet, I don't think it's sufficient. What say you?
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How Many Times Should We Pray Daily
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- Jun 12, 2020
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The scriptures say Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Which means we should be in continual communication throughout the day with God. That doesn't mean always on our knees and praying, but like you I agree we should pray on our knees in the morning and evening and if we want to follow the Prophet Daniel at lunch time too. I think it important to pray when there are no distractions and with a sincere heart.
God bless!
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Agree The scriptures say "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Which means we should be in continual communication throughout the day with God. So we're not going to be in one bodily position. Praise and thanksgiving are vital aspects of prayer as shown in the Lord's prayer
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Prayer is simply two-way communication with God. When you pray without ceasing, you are talking to God throughout the day, out loud or in your heart. To hear Him, you stop talking and stay quiet, asking Him to speak to you. In the quiet, you will hear Him.
Don't fall into the trap of praying X times a day. That is what the Pharisees did. It is not about checking off the prayer box. It's about staying connected with Him all day long, as though Jesus is walking right beside you. Because He is.
Don't fall into the trap of praying X times a day. That is what the Pharisees did. It is not about checking off the prayer box. It's about staying connected with Him all day long, as though Jesus is walking right beside you. Because He is.
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Well, it's good to appreciate that the apostles and the New Testament church were devoted to praying three times a day. They did this not out of compulsion, but out of their freedom in Christ. So this means (1) it's not sin to be devoted to prayer at fixed times, (2) it's not sin if we fail to keep this commitment because God does not command it, and (3) we can pray anywhere, anytime. So to pray without ceasing simply means to be devoted to prayer, and in this, you have freedom in Christ.
But on the subject of prayer, I think we can learn a lot and rejoice in the Lord's Prayer, which is a wonderful gift from God to us, and we can take comfort in that it contains everything we need for our temporal life now and for our life in eternity. In it, our Lord shows us what He desires to give us, which is far more than daily bread, that is, things that sustain our bodies. He desires to give us higher things, namely, forgiveness of sins, sanctification and protection against evil.
And also, something I think many people miss is that when we pray "our Father ..." we're not praying for ourselves only, for Jesus did not instruct us to pray "my father ...", but we are in fact praying for the whole Christian Church. So this means that every time a believer in Jesus prays this prayer, whether they know it or not, they are interceding for you. And given how often it's prayed and by the sheer amount of people all around the world in the different time zones, it truly is a literal unceasing prayer. And in this, we see the unity of the Church that is only found in Christ. So to me, there's a great comfort and joy in knowing that when I pray the Lord's Prayer, I'm not only praying for myself or for my family or those in close proximity, but I'm praying for all believers in Christ everywhere. And I know that when I don't pray this prayer, when I'm serving in my vocation as a minister of the Word, or as a husband, father, or friend, others are praying it for me. What a gift! And God be praised!
So with this in mind, using the freedom I have in Christ, it's my joy to commit to praying the Lord's Prayer three times a day with some additional prayers whenever, like the early church. So to answer your question directly, your prayer life is fine and you shouldn't be burdened with a sense of not praying enough, because that's true for all of us. We can never pray enough, but God is gracious and He has arranged for His people to intercede for one another.
If you'd like to consider what our Lord teaches us in His prayer, I can recommend reading the short summary found in our catechism which we've published for free here — Part III, The Lord’s Prayer: The Small Catechism – Luco
God bless!
But on the subject of prayer, I think we can learn a lot and rejoice in the Lord's Prayer, which is a wonderful gift from God to us, and we can take comfort in that it contains everything we need for our temporal life now and for our life in eternity. In it, our Lord shows us what He desires to give us, which is far more than daily bread, that is, things that sustain our bodies. He desires to give us higher things, namely, forgiveness of sins, sanctification and protection against evil.
And also, something I think many people miss is that when we pray "our Father ..." we're not praying for ourselves only, for Jesus did not instruct us to pray "my father ...", but we are in fact praying for the whole Christian Church. So this means that every time a believer in Jesus prays this prayer, whether they know it or not, they are interceding for you. And given how often it's prayed and by the sheer amount of people all around the world in the different time zones, it truly is a literal unceasing prayer. And in this, we see the unity of the Church that is only found in Christ. So to me, there's a great comfort and joy in knowing that when I pray the Lord's Prayer, I'm not only praying for myself or for my family or those in close proximity, but I'm praying for all believers in Christ everywhere. And I know that when I don't pray this prayer, when I'm serving in my vocation as a minister of the Word, or as a husband, father, or friend, others are praying it for me. What a gift! And God be praised!
So with this in mind, using the freedom I have in Christ, it's my joy to commit to praying the Lord's Prayer three times a day with some additional prayers whenever, like the early church. So to answer your question directly, your prayer life is fine and you shouldn't be burdened with a sense of not praying enough, because that's true for all of us. We can never pray enough, but God is gracious and He has arranged for His people to intercede for one another.
If you'd like to consider what our Lord teaches us in His prayer, I can recommend reading the short summary found in our catechism which we've published for free here — Part III, The Lord’s Prayer: The Small Catechism – Luco
God bless!
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Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules. —Psalm 119:164
This was the inspiration for Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office as its called by some. I used to pray in this manner in the past and still employ it to some degree. The Church of England has a Daily Prayer app that’s easy to use and includes morning, evening and compline prayers.
Liturgy of the Hours generally begins in the dark early morning hours and concludes in the evening before we retire to bed.
This was the inspiration for Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office as its called by some. I used to pray in this manner in the past and still employ it to some degree. The Church of England has a Daily Prayer app that’s easy to use and includes morning, evening and compline prayers.
Liturgy of the Hours generally begins in the dark early morning hours and concludes in the evening before we retire to bed.
- Vigils, the pre-dawn prayer
- Lauds, the morning prayer shortly after sunrise
- The Little Hours (Terce, Sext, and None) shorter prayers times to mark mid-morning, midday and mid-afternoon
- Vespers, the evening prayer service
- Compline, the nighttime closing prayer
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when I was 15 or so we would go to this bible study ran by grand parents. haha just they way I remember it. I became very close to them.. mostly the grand mother. Never in 61 years with all we see today in this world someone with so much power of God. She prayed 4 hours a day. Anytime you needed prayer she knew the word and would still look it up and pray the word and it got answered every time.
Then in your own life you learn you can't get to close to God. The more we pray.. the more we are faithful in little things He will give us show us more. With out asking believing Luke 11:13.. prayer would be for me very boring. Now when I pray and in the spirit..its me praying and at first can be hard but then the sweet sweet holy Spirit takes over and then I don't want to ever stop.
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