God is personal, loving, powerful, all-knowing, wise and holy and He invites us to spend time with Him. Can you imagine that? He loves us that much! Prayer is the outpouring of our relationship with Him and His with us. It’s a place we can go to talk to Him and interact with Him in a personal way.
But prayer isn’t always easy. Perhaps you feel distracted. Maybe it’s hard to pray with confidence. Maybe there is no joy to be found. Perhaps it’s hard to let go and let God be in control. There are times when you are not sure what to say or how to pray in the first place. If so, you are not alone. I’ve been in every one of these situations over the years in my prayer life.
The great thing is that God gives us all the knowledge we need. He will equip us for everything He calls us to do. Since prayer is something He calls us to do, we know he will equip us for that, too.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12 NKJV)
God will equip you for all He has called you to do. He will equip you in your prayer life, too!Click To TweetThese following three things have proven to be powerful strategies that can help empower and renew us in our prayer lives no matter what our difficulties may be.
1. Pray over your prayer time. Until I participated in the Battle Plan for Prayer Bible Study by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, it had never occurred to me to pray over my prayer time. But after their suggestion, it made total sense. I pray over all areas of my life, so why not cover my own prayer time in prayer!
Praying over your prayer time will:
• Calm you and bring you God’s strength
• Help give you focus
• Protect your mind
• Help you have discernment
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18, ESV)
Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11, NIV)
Don’t forget to cover your prayer time in prayer! Click To Tweet2. Worship God. In my prayer life, praise and worship were entirely missing. I was good at being thankful, but thankfulness is not the same as worship. When we worship God, we think about His character, and we praise Him for it.
Focusing on God’s character does several things.
• It forces us to take our eyes off ourselves.
• It helps us understand who God is.
• Understanding His character gives us hope helps bring peace.
• When we understand Who God is, we find our true identity.
Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10, NKJV)
He is your praise, and He is your God who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. (Deuteronomy 10:21, NKJV)
3. Pray Scriptures. This is one strategy that will totally change and empower your prayer life. When we pray Scriptures, we are praying back the very words of God. Can you imagine having this at your disposal any time, any day and for any situation? Think of what that will do!
Claiming and praying scriptures for your life is an easy thing to do. Here are some simple ideas you can choose from.
First:
Meditate on the verse. Take your chosen verse and meditate on it. Read through it several times. What phrases or words stand out to you? What truth does it contain? How can you apply it to your life?
Then do any (or all) of the following:
- Repeat the verse out loud. Repeating your chosen verse out loud will help you remember the verse and it will fill your mind with truth, which increases your faith. Repeating or praying God’s word out loud is powerful and can bring about spiritual breakthroughs.
- Personalize the verse by inserting a name or a personal pronoun. This makes the verse specific to you or to the person you are praying for. It is a very powerful way to pray, especially when you can’t seem to find the words you want to pray on your own.
- Pray the verse. Take your chosen verse and reword it as a prayer. Praying Scriptures defeats the enemy and brings the power of God into the situations we pray over.
Can you see how claiming verses in this way can help you hear the truth and absorb it into your life? God is in the business of equipping us, and one of the most powerful steps is thinking on, repeating, and claiming God’s Word in our lives. This is how we can pray bold and confident prayers.
So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11, NIV)
Praying Scriptures will transform your prayer life! Click To Tweet
Focus Verses
If you click on any of the verse references in the article above, you will be taken to a page over at Bible Hub where you will find many helpful and free resources for studying them in more depth. I especially like their Interlinear Bible! You can find a link to it in the menu bar above the verse list. It’s amazing the treasures you can find when you study the Hebrew and Greek meanings!
Let’s Talk
What other prayer strategies have you used to help you in your prayer life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Let’s Pray
(This is a simple prayer taken straight from a Bible verse, Romans 12:2. You can do prayers like this with any verse you’d like to use!)
Dear Lord, I ask you to give me the strength to refuse to be conformed to the patterns of this world. Help me instead to be transformed by the renewing of my mind so that I can understand Your good and perfect will in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pick up your FREE PRAYER GUIDE right here. ⤵️
This article may be linked in other encouraging places. Click HERE to find out where!
The article Three Powerful Strategies to Transform Your Prayer Life first appeared at www.journeytoimperfect.com.
Amen i loved the three strategies of prayer i have really encouraged because sometimes i lack words to pray blessings
I like the 3 strategies, they’re helping in finding words to say when praying.
I like the strategies,ooh Lord please help me to use
am so grateful for joining this with what my heart was yarning to get
thank you so much
Am so thankful for this prayer guide 🙏
Thank you
I’m so grateful for joining this with what my heart was yarning to get thank you so much
Thank you God we pray deliver
Thank you for this article and post, you really revived me back to Christ.
Great
Thank You For this post l am revived
Thank you so much for i found this when my life was in a mess sometimes wandering if my create still know that I am also His child .Thank you I am to put every single strategy in my prayers 🙏k
This is so mind opening….will definitely try to follow the guidelines…
Am sure the Lord gonna make me feel better since after joining
I don’t know how I stumbled upon this read but I’m glad I did, going through the hardest season and this will help me pray as it has been really difficult, thank you so much for sharing.
Leslie I loved your post. Most of what you share I already am doing, except for the part about covering my prayer time and that I thank you for. I love the scripture references too, great reminder. I must compliment you also on how your website looks. I mean it was clustered with affliate ads that distract readers from the most important part and thats the post. It was clean and even made me sign up. Affliates are okay if doesnt distract from the post. God bless you in your minsitry Leslie.
Thank you so much for visiting, Marshalee! I decided from the beginning not to do affiliate links. I really appreciate your comment on that. I’m not against affiliates, it’s just not my thing. I’m glad it added to your reading experience to not have that in this space. I appreciate the time you took to read and comment and I’m glad you found this encouraging! Blessings!
I am writing out prayers. And reading them aloud.
I am so thankful to read this information. It has enlarge my knowledge about how to pray and understand God’s Word more.
Thank you.
Thank you, I always find it hard to pray .Yes I thank our heavenly father each day .and pray for health and family but always feel I should be doing more .This is so mind opening .
I love the idea of personalizing the verse by inserting a name. I’m going to try that. Thanks!
Eve, it really makes the prayer personal this way. Thanks for being here!
Thank you so much. It’s a great help
Thank you so much. You helped me.
Hi,
I’m so encouraged to read how many people have been affected by this blog post, just like me!! I too have been hearing the Holy Spirit tell me that I need to pray scripture over my prayer life for a while now. Every time I pray I felt that something more powerful was missing at my prayer time. Thank you for letting yourself be led by the spirit, to share on the importance of this kind of structure! God bless you
Natalie, thank you for sharing and I am glad you found encouragement here. It all goes back to God’s Word and His faithfulness. I’m so glad you stopped by!
Wow this so good to know much about prayer , imagine I have been praying blindly and not knowing exactly what to mention I’m so glad for these super way of praying I will mention myself,my children,my neighbors and so on im indeed blessed
This is amazing. I love this.
I’m glad this encouraged you! Thank you for commenting to let me know. Blessings!
I am overjoyed that I found this website. I want to pray fervently, but I don’t know how to. I get distracted when I pray and can’t focus.
Cheryl, I’m glad you have found encouragement here! I totally understand about being distracted and not being able to focus. That’s been a huge issue of mine, too. I hope you will find the items in the resource library helpful in your prayer life. Thank you for visiting and for leaving a comment!
I understand that Cheryl and it’s important to know that we have got to take our eyes off of ourselves and/or other people. Get in the Spirit of God and die to the flesh, it’s all about Christ and nobody else. Ask God to speak through you when you begin to pray and relax and let the Spirit of God take over!
I am on a journey to enrich and strengthen my prayer life and also my Bible time. I am a widow. Who is now on a journey with my Lord. Thank you these readings will help! God bless you!
Carla
Carla, I’m so glad you stopped by and commented. It’s so good to meet you here. I’m glad you found encouragement here. His Word always does that for us, and I love how he comforts us in our losses. God bless you, Carla!
Alice, I love your memories! Thank you for sharing them with us, and thank you for being here today!
Thank you for your comment on praying over your prayer time. Although I have had many years of having had an awesome prayer life. I have been struggling to remain focused during prayer. Would everyone pray for me, I have moved to an area with only 2 churches. The church I attend loves to have testimony time and I believe this is important but it is not the same as worship. I miss our worship services so much from our last church. Traveling out of the area is not an option. This church has stayed back in the fifties with their services and their seems to be no joy or worship in their hymnal singing. I am hungry to find someone on the same spiritual level.
Mildred, Thank you for commenting and I will pray for you. Transition is so hard, especially so since you are missing the worship from your former church. I will be praying that you find common ground and encouragement in a new friendship very soon. I’m glad you stopped by today.
Ty jesus
I’m so inspired by your words..ive been lead by my spirit ‘ and absolutely..love my lord God has found me and only leads me to a great place in my life that’s greater..in my spirit ‘ when God call on me I go to these areas where I fellowship and leave seeds in the process ..being obiedent and loving everyone in my walk..gods sent me a a wonderful blessing a soulmate which it was on his timing plse pray for me on this journey..its wonderful to know that I’ve found love n we put God first in everything we do ..ty jesus
For our leaders to carry on your love..@men
Hi Mildred, I ran up on your site while looking at another site. I believe that the LORD led me here. I’ve been going through so much in my life to the point where I feel like regardless of what I do to help people including my husband it always seems like such a struggle. I am presented as the mean one. I pray and ask God to help me forgive and forget, but it’s so hard sometimes to let go and forget. I‘m a woman who believes and trusts in the Lord, and I know that he can make a way out of no way. I have experienced in my lifetime his Grace and Mercies, his protection and love for a sinner like me. I’m going to download The Journey to Imperfections and apply it to my prayers daily. Thank you,
Mrs. Kathi
.I believe that the LORD led me here. I’ve been gopeople including my husband it always seems like such a struggl I pray and ask God to help me forgive and forget, but it’s so hard sometimes to let go and forget. I‘m a woman who believes and trusts in the Lord, and I know that he can make a way out of no way. I have experienced in my lifetime his Grace and Mercies, his protection and love for a sinner like me. I’m going to download The Journey to Imperfections and apply it to my prayers daily. Thank you,
Mrs. Kathi
I was “almost persuaded” (Acts 26:28 KJV) to subscribe until you quoted scripture from everything but the KJV. All other versions are mans ideas and opinions.
Hi Lorraine, I appreciate your comment. I have not left the King James Version out on purpose. I actually like that version and read it as I study from different translations when I write and do my own personal Bible studies. I even believe the King James Version is the most accurate translation. I would also agree with you that some versions of the Bible are translated so loosely that they should not be quoted. I avoid using those versions because, like you, I feel that we need to stay away from man’s ideas and opinions. I use several of the modern translations because I believe the words are more understandable. I believe, however, that no translation is perfect. It’s difficult to fully translate ideas from one language to another. (This is why I love to do Greek and Hebrew word studies. It’s in those Greek and Hebrew root words that we can find deeper meanings from the very languages used when the inspired Word of God was recorded so long ago.) I appreciate that newer translations are written in common languages that cultures speak and write and understand today. This was the same 400 years ago when the King James Version was written. It was translated in the common language of that time so that all people could have access to the Word of God. Languages evolve over time. Our translations are updated to better follow changes in our languages. This way all people can continue to understand the Word of God. God’s Word is inspired. Even in the midst of our imperfections and mistakes in translations, He will make known His truth in the hearts of His believers. I appreciate your input and will most certainly consider quoting from the King James Version in the future!
A. Beautiful response to the young lady. Amen !!
I truly love study 3 powerful strategies to transform your prayer life. This is amazing! It truly helps me I would love copy of this entitled message.
Dear Leslie,
Pura vida from Costa Rica! This means ‘pure life’… and Costarican Christians know that our pure life comes from Jesus, our redeemer and savior! 🙂
I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing what the Holy Spirit has enlightening you to share! I’m on this crazy perfectionism and overthinking journey myself, but as we grow together, we know that this journey will come to an end as we grow bigger and stronger in the race of Christ.
Recently I’ve been kind of stuck in my prayer life and my personal relationship with God, due to my control freakness and perfectionism I now realize 🙁 , and reading your blog was like a waterfall of His love and grace coming down on me all over again! I’m so looking forward to learning and experiencing His presence again and I’m so incredibly thankful for what you’re doing through our Abba! Thank you so much and I wish you the very best! Glory to God!!!
Dear Val, oh my, this is such a blessing to me! I love what you shared about what the words ‘pure vida’ mean. There is so much truth, love and grace in the pure life of Jesus! I will remember those words and use them! I am so encouraged to see how the Lord uses even our weaknesses for His glory when we submit to Him and follow Him. I can so very much relate to what you shared here about perfectionism and overthinking and also your prayer life. These are struggles in my own life, too. I’m so happy the blog has been inspiring to you and I’m truly blessed and incredibly encouraged by your comments. Thank you so very much! Blessings!
Thank you so much, the ideal will help me. more inspiration
You are welcome, Julianah. Thank you so much for commenting and for stopping by today!
I am trying to sign up but it will not let me complete the recapta. Can you please let me know what to do. I really like everything I have read and would like to be included in the activities.😊 Thank you very much!
Hi Nortina, I am so sorry you are having trouble. I don’t have any control over the captcha response, but if you try subscribing again, perhaps it will work correctly. If not, feel free to email me at leslie@journeytoimperfect.com I will see if I can help you get subscribed! Thank you for commenting and for your encouraging words! It’s good to know you like what you have seen here! Blessings!
I have tried to Subscribe But it did not accept my email address. I love everything I have read and really want to be apart.
I’m so sorry you are having trouble, Deanna. I just checked and you are on the list as an unconfirmed subscriber. That means that you you are in our system, but have not replied to the “Confirm you Subscription” email. Sometimes those emails go to your spam folder so you may not have seen it. There is a button to click inside the “Confirm Your Subscription” email and when you do that you will be completely subscribed and should be taken to a link that will give you the password to the library. If you continue to have trouble, email me at leslie@journeytoimperfect.com and I will see if there is another way to help you. : ) Thank you so much for visiting today and for the kind words!!!
Hi Leslie , thank u for sharing those wonderful scripture and prayers I have been feeling so hopeless it a blessing to receive the email they r strength for me
Gale, Bless your heart. When I was feeling at a loss they helped me, too. Thank you so very much for letting me know these things have helped you. Sending love and prayers your way.
The Holy Spirit has been speaking this to my spirit for a little while now, and finding this blog is just amazing conformation. I firmly believe in this, it has worked for me in tbe past, but I have been slacking in this area of my prayer life. I’m just in awe of how much our GOD loves us and makes sure we have what we need. I have recently been going through some things that I had gone through in the past. Every morning before work, I would pray GOD’s Word over my day, my life, and claim His promises….I was so very blessed in the work place, and His favor was so evident. Now, I’m going through the same thing and the Holy Spirit has been nudging me to do what I know works…finding this blog is a major nudge! ALL glory to GOD. Thank you so much for your service to Him, and what you are doing for your sisters in Christ. You are greatly appreciated. Sorry for the redundancy and the long comment. I’m just a tad bit excited to have found so many goodies on this blog. May our Abba Father continue to bless. Numbers 6:24-26.
Rochelle, Thank you. That is a huge encouragement to me. It is all about Him. He is to be praised! I am so thankful that you find the information here helpful. I have created it because I need it for my own prayer life, too! Prayer is hard for me and this blog is the result of that. I felt led (and very much wanted) to give others tools that would be helpful in creating an intentional prayer life. I feel very blessed this morning to know that this has encouraged you. I appreciate so much the kind words and encouragement you have given me. Blessings!
Hi Leslie – I am so glad you could join the party last week at #TuneInThursday. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get around to commenting on your post, I had a retreat I was speaking at this past weekend, and it put me behind a few days.
So, I hadn’t really thought about covering my prayer time in pray – novel idea, kind of a duh but an aha moment at the same time for me. LOL don’t know why it never occurred to me. But you are most correct – I always say nothing can advance in the kingdom with out prayer and worship… ( previous pastor used to say praise and worship, but I changed it to include prayer ..just want to give him some credit). Blessings
Debbie, I had not thought of it either before hearing it from the Kendrick brothers. And I was the same way and thought, “Why didn’t that ever occur to me before?” You are always so kind to stop by and visit. Thank you!
Hi Leslie, yes sometimes prayer seems hard when worry is in full throttle! Thank you for sharing your strategies with us. Asking the Lord to help us in prayer is important especially when we feel weak or overwhelmed with life.
God bless you
You are welcome, Ifeoma. Thank you for visiting today. And God bless you, too!
Love this, Leslie … especially “praying over my prayer time” … sometimes it’s the simplest things that make the difference. Have a great weekend!
Thank you, Dianne. And yes, it’s the simplest things that can make such a big difference! Blessings!
Love this post on prayer strategies Leslie! So many good truths here. Recently God has been teaching me about the importance of enlisting others to join us in prayer. Especially when we are struggling. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matt. 18:20 NIV
Hi Kelly, That verse is such a great reminder. Thank you for visiting today and for the kind words! Blessings!
Leslie, this post is very timely for me, and I’m grateful for any wisdom pertaining to praying scripture over our lives and the lives of others.
Crystal, I’m really glad it is good timing for you. I really appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. Blessings!
Great post-Leslie! So helpful…I never thought about praying over my prayer time. Brilliant:)
This line was empowering, “Since prayer is something He calls us to do, we know he will equip is for that, too.”
I’m going ti grab your printable too!
#TuneInThursday
Julie, Thanks for the encouragement. : ) Yes, I too, had never thought about praying over my prayer time! I’m so glad I heard that idea in the Battle Plan for Prayer Bible Study. It really makes such a difference! Thank you for visiting today!
This is great, Leslie! I saw your instagram post the other day and looked forward to reading today. It must be a prayer-post kind of a week. We aren’t the only ones writing about prayer this week. 🙂 Great post, thank you for sharing. ((hug))
This was the other one I’ve seen this week on prayer: https://mistyphillip.com/2017/04/25/its-all-about-the-prayer/ — Seems like there was another one too, but I haven’t come across it again yet. 🙂 Just thought I’d share since we’re all of the same mind this week. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Brenda! I’ll read article in a few minutes!
Thanks, Brenda, for the encouragement! And that’s great that prayer is the topic in several places! Hugs!
Such a great post. Like a PRAYER 101 course! Visiting from Deb Kitterman’s today where we are neighbors!
Thank you Susan! (It must be the teacher in me coming out! LOL) Blessings!
Praying over your prayer time. Great idea! I’m going to incorporate that idea for my prayer time too!
Yes, Cindy, when I heard that idea in the Bible study (Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen and Alex Kendrick) it had never occurred to me, either! We’ll be talking about it more next week, too. Thank you for stopping by! Blessings!
Powerful and practical words on prayer, Leslie! I’m always interested in reading and learning more about how to pray more effectively. You’ve got some great ideas here and I’ll be pinning it to my Pinterest board on prayer!
Thank you for reading and sharing, Beth! I’m glad this is helpful. Blessings!
It’s so important to cover everything in prayer, even our prayer time. I think that’s such a good point you make in this post! Thanks for sharing!
God bless,
Patty
Thank you, Patty. It’s a point I missed for many years. Thank you for stopping by and reading today!
I love the idea of praying for your prayer time! Certainly it can be a battle to be still. Great insight!
It sure can be hard! Thanks for stopping by today, Debbie!