Suggestions for establishing discipline for prayer at home.

[Dominus vobiscum]

Greetings,

I have been trying to slowly develop a habit of praying every day (my hope is one day to live up to the ideal of the Didache 3x a day). I struggle to be consistent and it is often a source of guilt and frustration. Anyone have any suggestions on ways to cultivate discipline around prayer.

 

[AlexB23]

Greetings,

I have been trying to slowly develop a habit of praying every day (my hope is one day to live up to the ideal of the Didache 3x a day). I struggle to be consistent and it is often a source of guilt and frustration. Anyone have any suggestions on ways to cultivate discipline around prayer.

Well, here is a guide that might help, almost straight from Luke 10.

Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42)

Hello folks. Here is an analysis of Luke 10:38-42. Remember, let us balance our actions with faith and prayer. Date May 13, 2024 | Mary & Martha Verse Luke 10:38-42 (NIV): "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to...

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Date	May 13, 2024 | Mary & Martha
Verse	Luke 10:38-42 (NIV): "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’"
Explanation	Luke 10:38-42 is a well-known passage that highlights the importance of prioritizing faith and listening to Jesus over works. In this story, Jesus and his disciples visit the home of Martha and her sister Mary. While Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teachings, Martha was busy preparing for their visit and was feeling frustrated that her sister was not helping her. Martha expressed her concern to Jesus, asking him to make Mary help her. But Jesus responded by praising Mary for choosing what is better - listening to his teachings - and reminding Martha that there is only one thing needed, which is faith. This passage emphasizes the importance of prioritizing faith and spiritual growth over worldly concerns and tasks. It is a reminder that our relationship with God should be our primary focus, and that we should make time for listening to and learning from Jesus. However, this does not mean that we should disregard our responsibilities or abandon community service.
Societal Relevance	In modern life, we can apply this passage by making time for our spiritual growth and prioritizing our faith, while also recognizing the importance of balancing our responsibilities with our relationship with God. We can strive to incorporate our faith into our daily lives, whether through regular prayer, studying the Bible, or serving others in our community. Additionally, we can seek to find ways to integrate our faith with our work or community service. For example, we can approach our tasks with a servant's heart and a focus on loving and serving others, rather than just completing tasks for their own sake. By doing so, we can bring the values and priorities of our faith into all areas of our lives, rather than compartmentalizing them into a separate "spiritual" realm. 1. Set aside dedicated time for prayer and Bible study: One of the most effective ways to prioritize faith and pray better is to set aside regular time each day for prayer and Bible study. This can be done first thing in the morning, during a lunch break, or in the evening before bed. By making this a consistent habit, we can deepen our relationship with God and stay focused on his priorities. 2. Practice mindfulness and intentionality during prayer: When we pray, it's important to be present and focused on our communication with God, rather than letting our minds wander. This can be achieved through practices such as mindfulness meditation, repeating a mantra or prayer phrase, or writing down our prayers to help us stay focused. 3. Seek out spiritual community: Surrounding ourselves with other believers and being part of a spiritual community can help us stay motivated and accountable in our faith journey. This can include attending church services, joining a Bible study group, or connecting with other believers through social media or community events. 4. Integrate faith into work and daily life: Rather than viewing our work as a separate sphere from our faith, we can strive to bring our faith into our work and daily life. This can be done through acts of kindness and service towards coworkers and clients, incorporating spiritual practices into our work routine, or seeking to bring a positive and uplifting attitude to our workplace. 5. Cultivate a heart of gratitude and generosity: Another way to keep God at the center of our work is to cultivate a heart of gratitude and generosity. This can be achieved through practices such as keeping a gratitude journal, volunteering in the community, or making regular donations to charitable causes. By focusing on the blessings in our lives and seeking to give back to others, we can keep our hearts and minds focused on the values and priorities of our faith.

 

[Dominus vobiscum]

Wow. Thank you for sharing. It's beautiful how scripture so amazingly anticipates human problems whether in the times of the apostles to this day.

 

[AlexB23]

Wow. Thank you for sharing. It's beautiful how scripture so amazingly anticipates human problems whether in the times of the apostles to this day.

You are welcome, bro and sir. The Bible relates to pretty much all our life situations, hence why some folks dub the Bible as the Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth. 2024 has been a year for getting into the Bible in my life, as before, the Bible was kinda boring and dull to read, but with the help of God, advanced local artificial intelligence software installed privately on my laptop, plus my life experiences, the Bible has become easier to get into.

 

[tturt]

There is " ... when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret..." Matt 6:6 There will be interruptions but we don't need to pursue them at that time.. Just spend a time deliberately focusing on God.

Also, we"re to "Pray without ceasing." (I Thess 5:17). ' How is that even possible? You can look for opportunities such as seeing someone struggling or realizing they are, an ambulance, a news report, sending the kids out to door for school,, thankful for family & friends, plus those emphasized in Scripture such as pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6), for those in authority, and on behalf of everyone (I Tim 2).

Additionally, there are important elements of prayer including praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, and repentance (Matt 6, Psa 100:4, 107:1, Eph 5:20, Jam 1:17, Heb 13:15, Rev 2-3).

Prayer is communicating with the Only One True God - the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost:

 

[Diamond7]

Greetings,

I have been trying to slowly develop a habit of praying every day (my hope is one day to live up to the ideal of the Didache 3x a day). I struggle to be consistent and it is often a source of guilt and frustration. Anyone have any suggestions on ways to cultivate discipline around prayer.

God knows what we need. Prayer is mostly thanksgiving and praise for God is good all the time. Of course we can always just pray the Lords prayer. Also we can proclaim the wonder working power in the blood of Jesus. We need to study the authority we have as born again believers. We need to be cleansed and purified and set apart for every good work onto God.

 

[seeking.IAM]

A while ago, I came across a video by an Orthodox priest I found helpful. I will post the link below. My takeaway from it was that a prayer rule you will keep is better than one you won't. In other words, keep it as simple as need be to increase the odds of doing it regularly. Don't overly complicate it.

I see OP is Episcopalian, so I don't know what they think of when speaking of "prayer." If OP means praying the daily office in the Book of Common Prayer, for instance, an option might be to use the abbreviated Devotions for Families. I did this for a while merely because it wasn't as time-demanding when I had a busy schedule. Whether talking about a structured prayer as prayed by the whole church (i.e. Daily Office) or personal prayer, the idea is not to over-complicate it. Pare it down to something that you will actually do until a habit is created and becomes ingrained.

The link:
Building a simple prayer rule

 

[AlexB23]

There is " ... when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret..." Matt 6:6 There will be interruptions but we don't need to pursue them at that time.. Just spend a time deliberately focusing on God.

Also, we"re to "Pray without ceasing." (I Thess 5:17). ' How is that even possible? You can look for opportunities such as seeing someone struggling or realizing they are, an ambulance, a news report, sending the kids out to door for school,, thankful for family & friends, plus those emphasized in Scripture such as pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psa 122:6), for those in authority, and on behalf of everyone (I Tim 2).

Additionally, there are important elements of prayer including praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, and repentance (Matt 6, Psa 100:4, 107:1, Eph 5:20, Jam 1:17, Heb 13:15, Rev 2-3).

Prayer is communicating with the Only One True God - the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost:

I pray for ambulance patients/EMTs as well, every time a siren goes by.

 

[Dominus vobiscum]

This was very good advice. I will, when I can, attend the daily office in the mornings at my local church (I am blessed In Philadelphia to have many Anglo-Catholic parishes including the one where I was baptised in my 20s). I am trying to establish a personal prayer practice. As a former observent classical Jew, It is a very cultivated skill to engage in meaningful liturgical prayer (Jewish liturgy itself is an ancient masterpiece) but never had much success praying unstructured. My plan is to start by doing some personal prayer in the morning at 9am and end it with the rosary (I like to pray for the holy mother to intercede for my deceased father, of blessed memory). Thank you and blessings.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Greetings,

I have been trying to slowly develop a habit of praying every day (my hope is one day to live up to the ideal of the Didache 3x a day). I struggle to be consistent and it is often a source of guilt and frustration. Anyone have any suggestions on ways to cultivate discipline around prayer.

Hey there!

What has helped me tremendously before praying is asking God to help me to pray. If you want to have a more spiritual life, ask for His help. Anything we ask that is His will, He will hear us. It's a promise of scripture.

1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

 

[Diamond7]

asking God to help me to pray.

A lot of my prayer is: "Thy will be done". As Jesus teaches us to pray. To align myself with Him and HIs desire for me and my life. I am just not smart enough to figure it out so I have to trust in Him to figure it out for me.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

A lot of my prayer is: "Thy will be done". As Jesus teaches us to pray. To align myself with Him and HIs desire for me and my life. I am just not smart enough to figure it out so I have to trust in Him to figure it out for me.

God's will is revealed in His Word such as Psa 40:8. We are to rearrange our lives around His Word, but many want the scriptures to fit around their lifestyle.

Jesus always wants us closer to Him so asking to help us to pray, makes a big difference in our prayers to Him, at least from my experience.

 

[Diamond7]

many want the scriptures to fit around their lifestyle.

Of course we want to live our life in the flesh and not the spirit. Paul said he had to beat himself into submission to God.