4 Habits That Have Helped in My Personal Prayer Life

I've been slow to post this, because I've been concerned that I not violate Jesus' command: "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1a). However, I do think that these habits that have helped me might help others as well. As far as I can know my own heart, that's the reason I'm posting them now.

I have struggled and sometimes continue struggle to have consistent, focused times of personal prayer. However, the following habits, developed over time, have been helpful. None of these habits are directly commanded in Scripture, so I'm not saying that they're the only way to do things, but if you're dissatisfied with how your prayer-life is going, I commend them to you.

1. Wake Up Earlier to Pray
This was the hardest habit for me to develop. I already felt that I was already getting up quite early to get ready and get to work on time. However, I realized that if I did not make some sort of self-sacrifice, I would never find the time to pray as I wanted. I also wanted to prioritize Bible reading and prayer in my daily schedule. Jesus Himself got up early to pray on at least some occasions, as we read about in Mark 1:35. Many others throughout church history who have had rich spiritual lives have engaged in sustained early-morning prayer as well. So, on at least several days a week, I've gotten in the habit of setting an alarm an hour before I would normally need to wake up to get ready for work. (In order to get enough sleep, this does require that I watch TV at night less than I used to, and some days I now don't watch any TV at all, which is probably good for me as well.)

2. Pray According to Priorities
After praying the petitions in the model prayer from Jesus (see Matthew 6:9-13), when I'm bringing specific petitions before the Lord on behalf of others, who should I pray for in the time that I have? I often prioritize prayers for others in terms of the priorities and people that God has providentially brought into my life. So I usually pray for the following, in this order:

a. my wife;
b. my children;
c. my extended family;
d. my church family (our pastors and deacons and their families, then other members);
e. my fellow staff members and teachers at the school where I work;
f. my students;
g. government officials.

3. Pray With Bible and Sermon Notes
 Prayer is us speaking to God. Scripture is God speaking to us. In personal prayer, it's rare that I don't have a  open Bible with me.  Also, I often review sermon notes when praying; I don't want to hear a sermon once and then forget it, but I want to meditate on the truths the pastor was proclaiming from God's Word so that they shape my life, and if they're going to shape my life, then they must first shape my prayer-life.

4. Write Out Prayers
One thing about getting up especially early to pray: I'm usually tired, so it can be quite hard to focus on what I'm wanting to bring before the Lord. One habit that's helped me maintain focus and not drift or doze is writing out my prayers. Often, I will use the back of my sermon notes pages from previous weeks and write out prayers that are shaped by the verses/teaching there.