What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

Notice that the question asks what is “one” thing you could do to improve your prayer life this year. First, we have to ask, “What does it mean to ‘improve’ one’s prayer life?” When we go through the Bible, it gives us several characteristics of prayer that help demonstrate how we could ‘improve’ prayer.

First of all, do we even want to pray? Prayer is communing with God. Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is relating to God. Do we even desire to relate to God? Do we want to draw near to God? James says that if we’ll draw near to God, that He will then draw near to us. Sometimes we might go long periods of time without “feeling God’s presence” (we say). When is the last time you got on your knees and poured out your heart to God? That is not meant to be a question to heap guilt on you; it is meant to be a question of evaluation. If we desire to draw close to God, then that question is meant to be a tool to help us. I think that sometimes we just forget what we should do. Sometimes we get into routines with God that are not helping us. So, do we even want to pray?

Second, do we pray in faith? Do we believe that God will answer our prayers? Also, “Do we pray specifically?” If we pray specifically, then we know what to look for after we have prayed. Oftentimes, someone would come to Jesus and He would say, “Do you believe me?” And they would say, “Yes, Lord, I believe,” and then He would heal them. They asked specifically to be healed, so they knew what to look for. If we do not ask specifically, then we will not know what to look for should God choose to respond in the affirmative to our prayers.

Third, is the idea of persevering in prayer. I think that, for many of us, we have prayed so much for some circumstances without an answer, that we have just given up. Given the parable by Jesus of the persistent widow (in Luke 18:1-8) it seems that God is attracted to persistence in prayer. How persistent are we in our prayers to God?

Fourth, do we pray with humility? Remember the prayer of the Pharisee as opposed to the prayer of the tax collector (from Luke 18)? The Pharisee prayed self-centered, boastful, proud prayers. The Pharisee prayed, “God, thank you, that I am not like other people” and then he lists the sinners he thinks he’s not like, and then he gives God his list of good deeds. On the other hand, how did the publican pray? He prayed with utter humility. He cried out to God: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Proud prayers will never get anywhere with God. God resists the proud person, but He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

So, as we think about prayer (whether we want to do it, whether we do it in faith, whether we are persistent in it, and whether we do it humbly, and any other number of things), we ask the question, “What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?”