Lessons from the School of Prayer

Class on Saturday, PC?

You bet. This school on this subject never closes.

So far we have these principles:

Much praying is not done because we don't plan to pray.
Adopt practical ways to impede mental drift.
At various periods in your life, develop, if possible, a prayer-partner relationship.
Choose models, but choose them well.
Develop a system for your prayer lists.
Mingle praise, confession, and intercession; but when you intercede, try to tie as many requests as possible to Scripture.

Now for number seven:

If you are in any form of spiritual leadership, work at your public prayers.

D. A. Carson exhorts:

Many facets of Christian discipleship, not least prayer, are rather more effectively passed on by modeling than by formal teaching. Good praying is more easily caught than taught. If it is right to say that we should choose models from whom we can learn, then the obverse truth is that we ourselves become responsible to become models for others. So whether you are leading a service or family prayers, whether you are praying in a small-group Bible study or at a convention, work at your public prayers.

Enough said. Time to work on my pastoral prayer for tomorrow.