Pray to learn how to Pray

We pray, to learn how to pray. Reading books on prayer (there are hundreds) are educational and beneficial. But, how many of us have done everything we have read? When Jesus saved me in 1985, the Holy Spirit told me to take my Bible and go every morning to the church my wife and two girls attended and He would teach me to pray. And I found out, as reflected in Romans 8:26, He is the best teacher we could have. When I went to their church with her Bible, I heard the Holy Spirit to tell me to open up the Bible and it opened to Psalms. He then told me to walk around the sanctuary, praying the Scriptures out loud over the people and situations He would show me or tell me—which He faithfully did every morning. I never knew what Scripture to pray, or whom to pray for, but when I opened my mouth, He was always faithful to fill it (Psalm 81:10). He always had me pray the Scriptures, because His Word will never return empty, and will achieve the purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). What a promise to hold on to. Jesus tells us in John 15:7, that “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” So, let us get in His presence, pray, stand on His Word, and watch our prayers be answered. One of my favorite Scriptures the Holy Spirit used to teach me how to pray was Lamentation 2:19 (NIV) – “Arise, cry out in the night… pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord…”. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary states “arise” means to “rise up, stand up, stir up”. Do we do this? Can we picture ourselves doing this, as our great God in heaven is instructing us to stand up and stir ourselves up to pray out to the One who hears and answers our prayers? Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary reflects “cry out” to mean “to shout or cry out”. This might be offensives to some—but not to God— as He is instructing us to shout or cry out loud our pleas, our prayers, our intercessions. Let us follow David’s example in Psalm 119:145 – “I cry out with my whole heart;” Strong’s also informs us “pour out” is to “spill forth, gush out, pour out” – like a fountain, pouring out a torrent of words to God our Maker. We are encouraged in Psalm 62:8 to “Pour out our heart before Him…”. So, we learn to pray by praying – pouring out our heart like water in the presence of our Lord. It is fun, exciting, rewarding, refreshing, and pleasing to Jesus.