1: The "Present" Question About Your Prayer Life

If you want to get more from your prayer life, you’ve got to work on your prayer life. It’s that simple. There’s no magic pill. A way to work on your prayer life is by taking a coach approach to prayer.

Taking a coach approach means you get curious about your prayer life. You begin by asking, “Where am I now?” This is the “present” question. It wonders about your current reality. What is the present state of your prayer life? How are you getting along? If you looked down from above and could observe yourself, what would you see?

This question is for evaluation, and it’s important because we seldom observe ourselves, let alone our practice of prayer. We are caught up in the hubbub of daily life. Or don’t consider our state of prayer to be a primary interest. Or don’t imagine ourselves brave enough to handle the data.

But as children of God, exploring our practice of prayer is necessary and good and even our responsibility.

As it goes in prayer, so it goes with the Father. Prayer is your means of relationship with God and enjoying Him is your chief end. But if you’re not enjoying God, if you’re not feeling the favor of your Father, then change the means—work on your prayer life. There’s no magic pill.

So slow down, brave up, and pay attention to what your prayer life is telling you. Let the Holy Spirit coach you to pray.

You may have noticed in the Bible that when Jesus was working with people, he often asked questions. Yes, Jesus did some teaching that involved telling, but most of the time, he dealt in questions. Let the Holy Spirit coach you to pray.

One day after Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “LORD, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1). That disciple noticed something in Jesus that he did not have. Let the Holy Spirit coach you to pray.

Now it’s time to get practical.

When you’re not rushed or distracted, explore the following questions about your prayer life. Make an honest assessment of how things actually are—not how you’d like them to be someday or how you’d want to be viewed by others.

Explore these questions honestly. Write out your answers in a journal. As you do, let the Holy Spirit coach you to pray.

• How would you rate your prayer life between 1 and 10 with 10 being the highest score?
• What words come to your mind to describe your current prayer life?
• What outcomes or results is your prayer life currently producing?
• How do you feel about your prayer life as it is now?
• What effect does your prayer life have on your relationship with God?
• What would God say about your prayer life?

Okay, that’s it for the questions. Good job—they’re some big questions, but exploring them is going to be worth it. Remember, if you want to get more from your prayer life, you’ve got to work on your prayer life. There's no magic pill.