Season of Prayer

What does it mean to be in a “Season of Prayer”?

Here at HFM we are inviting you to join us to take a few weeks to focus on prayer. In the Scriptures, it tells us to pray without ceasing, so it seems odd to have a season of prayer, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t we be in prayer every season?

Well, yes, that is absolutely true. When we speak of a Season of Prayer, it means to take time out of the daily routines and to-do’s of life, bringing new focus and renewal in our moments of prayer with the Lord. To intentionally seek Him in places we weren’t before. It can also be a time of re-focus if needed. To search our hearts for areas, we may need to repent and be brought to our knees with our father again. To worship and praise Him for who He is and all He has done.

I have grown a great deal in the discipline of prayer in the last several years. Spending time in the Word and studying how those who have gone before us spoke to the Lord, meditated on His truths and worshiped Him has drawn me into deeper places of communion with Him. Christ himself had time with His father through prayer. He even gave guidance on how to pray when His friends and disciples asked Him. What a gift He gave them then and continues to give now. We can read those exact words, known as The Lord’s Prayer, and discover how to connect with our Father in a real and practical way too!

We find The Lord’s Prayer in two places in the Bible: in the books of Luke and Matthew. In the book of Luke, Christ addresses the question, “How should we pray?” and simply tells us the prayer. In Matthew, it is part of a greater message, The Sermon on the Mount, in a section where Jesus teaches how we should and shouldn’t pray.

Within this prayer are vital elements of how we are to pray to the Lord. I want to encourage you today to spend time with Him, reflecting on deepening your time in prayer.

When I was young, my mom taught me The Lord’s Prayer; it laid a great foundation for me. Please take a moment to read it allowed:

Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 9-13 (KJV)

Christ is sharing with His disciples the importance and value of praising God and acknowledging His greatness, confessing their sins and forgiving others, giving thanks to God in everything, presenting their needs to Him for provision, and trusting His will and way in all things. This is the way, my friends, and it’s simple! It can be challenging to know how to begin sometimes, it was for me, but He laid it out for us so that we would know how to do it. So, if you haven’t already, start today!

How do you engage with prayer? I have enjoyed journaling to help myself really connect and focus with the Lord. This is probably because I am such a tactile person, but it can also help me process what is on my heart. On other occasions, I will write a few prompts, notes, or prayer requests on a 3x5 card so that, as I pray, I can refer to it. I don’t always need them, but I often use these tools as I feel led.

So in this “Season of Prayer,” take some time to consider how you will join us in it. Let’s be mighty prayer warriors and grow together!

Oh - and guess what? We have a fun free resource that might be helpful to you. It’s our HFM I.N.V.I.T.E. method, and it is a great way to start when you don’t know where to begin and a fun way to continue and try something new.

Click HERE for a free digital download of the INVITE prayer method.

Erin Nonaka is a Co-Founder and the Director of Communications and Community at Humble Faith Ministries. She is an experienced worship leader, Bible teacher, and leadership trainer. Her heart yearns for women to be equipped and walk boldly for Jesus in every season of life. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and two of her three sons