“Through the ages, millions of sincere practitioners have attempted to corral the “secrets” of prayer, and countless more have attempted to teach others “how to” pray. Because praying is personal communion with God, contrived prayers using other’s words can leave you feeling frustrated and empty, not alive and brimming with faith. Martin Luther understood this when he prayed, “Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart.”
Pay close attention to the words Jesus’ disciple used when asking Him for help with prayer: “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of His disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’” (Luke 11:1). It’s not a great leap to suggest that the disciple’s desire was to learn to pray, not how to pray. He didn’t want a primer on techniques; he wanted to understand the desire that drove Jesus to pray as He did. Contrary to common belief, prayer isn’t an art form to learn, it’s an association to pursue. We need to activate personal motivations that cause us to want to pray more than learn “how to” pray[…] we need less information and more inspiration about heightening spiritual desire to do whatever it takes to spend time with God.”
Excerpt From: Jack Corbin Getz. “Praying When Prayer Doesn't Work.” iUniverse, 2010-06-30. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.
Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/praying-when-prayer-doesnt/id489829837?mt=11
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