The first Mark is that of Daily Prayer – not that the Marks of Discipleship have any particular priority, just that it is a comfortable place to start.

If Christ is truly the center of our lives, then daily communication with Him and the Heavenly Father should be a pretty straightforward objective, wouldn’t you think?

There are innumerable reasons for daily prayer:

Matthew 26:41: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Luke 22:32: “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

John 17:15: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Yet I believe that we can and do fall into prayer as a matter of habit, like at a meal, or as a matter of form, like in church, or as a matter of desperation, when things are going wrong. How much time do we spend on our knees with God at other times? What are our prayers about?

The following is a brief guideline for prayer that you might find useful as you pray to God through Jesus Christ: first, praise God; second, thank God; third, seek God’s forgiveness; and then fourth, ask Him for what you want. God – our patient, loving and eternal Father – is with you, ready to listen to it all!

Jesus sets the example for us in a way that only He can do. Luke 6:12: One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Next: Weekly Worship