Joyful Praying
“…making my prayer with joy.” (Philippians 1:4 ESV)
Is your prayer life joyful? Is joy one of the first words that come to mind when you think about praying? Or are the main words:
- Drudgery
- Duty
- Boring
- Rushed
- Mechanical?
Many people find praying difficult or guilt-inducing rather than freeing and empowering and, well, joyful. In Philippians 1, Paul shows us the secret to a joy-saturated experience with prayer.
One of the secrets to being a joyful Christian is learning to see our time of prayer, not as a hardship, but as time we hesitate to leave. We are reconnecting our lives to the Lord of all Creation when we pray. There is nothing of drudgery, or dullness, or boredom in that.
When we pray, our prayers should resonate with Heaven’s joy. Yes, there are times we come to God in prayer with the sacrifice of our tears and pain. Yet, the joy of the Lord should be our entry into His Presence…
… and the gift with which we leave.
