There must be a way to pray for long periods of time.

[Wakka]

I don't understand it. Try as hard as I can, and the most I can ever get out of prayer is a measly 15 minutes. How did the saints of the old days pray for hours on end. They truly walked with the Lord.

 

[Jordan]

But that 15 minutes of praying to the Lord, is so much better than not praying. As long as you put heart into your prayers to the Lord, you are fine.JagLovest thou in Christ Yahshua, Lord and Saviour of the world.

 

[dgc]

Don't worry about the length of prayer rather its content start out in worship then ask God to direct your prayer belive me he will. God wants us to be in an attitude of continous prayer he has put a desire in your heart to pray so ask him what/who you should pray for in the mean time pray for those in leadership, family, coworkers, .... then return to worship and thank God for the answers to your prayers.

 

[Wakka]

I think it matter more of how much you pray rather than how long you pray. You can pray for 15 minutes. But every 10 minutes you pray again.Don't know.

 

[Lookin4wardtoHeaven]

I agree with ((((Jag and dgc)))) ..... pray from your heart (earnestly) . I just wanted to add this ....I Thessalonians 5:17Pray without ceasing. Romans 12:12 Continuing instant in prayers. ~~~~This does not mean that we should be constantly bowed before God in prayer, but that we should not neglect prayer, and that we should ever be in a prayerful frame of mind, even when walking by the way or engaged in the duties of life--ever ready to send up our petition (requests) to heaven for help in time of need. ~~~ God:blessyou:

 

[dgc]

I find myself as I said in a attitude of continous or never ceasing from prayer all day I am praying for direction on decisions, co workers are coming to me with all types of problems asking for advise I tell them I will pray for or with them. At times I will sing songs of worship at work to establish his dominiun their. Prayer is like a muscle the more you use it the stronger and more effective it becomes. It is a weapon God has given us to use with it we speak the destruction of strongholds, we bind the works of the devil, and loosen the will of God on earth and in heaven. It is our hot line to heaven with direct connection to our father. Also it is communication with our father and when we do not know what to pray for then be still and listen because communication is a two way street and he may betrying to speek to us

 

[dgc]

I am a firm beliver of prayer I have seen first hand what it can do. In 1979 I broke my neck c5-c6 complete and was paralized from the neck down I was told if I live I will never sit up on my own. After sveral months of being Quad. A man came into my room and said God wanted him to pray over me. He anointed my head with oil prayed in Jesus name and left the room and I never seen him again. Two days later I started moving my hands and feet. today I am 85-90% recovered my Doctor and Neurologist are both Christians along with my self as a result of this encounter. God turned a terrible life changing event in a 17 year old and created a miracle to bring at least 3 people to his salvation all over ones man desire to pray.

 

[Jonous]

(dgc;26621)
I am a firm beliver of prayer I have seen first hand what it can do. In 1979 I broke my neck c5-c6 complete and was paralized from the neck down I was told if I live I will never sit up on my own. After sveral months of being Quad. A man came into my room and said God wanted him to pray over me. He anointed my head with oil prayed in Jesus name and left the room and I never seen him again. Two days later I started moving my hands and feet. today I am 85-90% recovered my Doctor and Neurologist are both Christians along with my self as a result of this encounter. God turned a terrible life changing event in a 17 year old and created a miracle to bring at least 3 people to his salvation all over ones man desire to pray.
Praise the Lord!!!

 

[crooner]

Fantastic Amen

 

[Wakka]

(dgc;26621)
I am a firm beliver of prayer I have seen first hand what it can do. In 1979 I broke my neck c5-c6 complete and was paralized from the neck down I was told if I live I will never sit up on my own. After sveral months of being Quad. A man came into my room and said God wanted him to pray over me. He anointed my head with oil prayed in Jesus name and left the room and I never seen him again. Two days later I started moving my hands and feet. today I am 85-90% recovered my Doctor and Neurologist are both Christians along with my self as a result of this encounter. God turned a terrible life changing event in a 17 year old and created a miracle to bring at least 3 people to his salvation all over ones man desire to pray.
Good story.

 

[Super Kal]

I am also a firm believer of prayer, because like dgc, I've seen what it can do.Ever since I was 7 years old, I struggled in my faith as a Christian because everywhere I went, I was always suffering in some form. In these past 17 years, I have repeatedly asked God to show himself to me as proof that He truly does exist, but unfortunately, I never did have that prayer answered. In 2000, I eventually ended up in a Christian rehab facility in Texas for 13 months, and you'd think that a place like that would strengthen my faith, but no... it made me turn my back on God and Christ completely. For four long years, I relapsed into depression and used food as a way of escapism. After 3 suicide attempts and a separated family, I still hated God for supposedly giving me the life I was living. In late '04, on the fourth attempt, I was utterly sick of life, and had a sheer determination of just ending everything, but before I did, I was desperate enough to one more time pray to God to please show Himself and give me physical proof that He truly does love me.I took up an old bible, closed my eyes, and just opened it up. With my eyes still closed, I put my finger on a random spot on the page, and I opened my eyes. My finger was lying on Isaiah 41:10 which says"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."in that moment, I fell to my knees and cried because I knew that God had finally shown Himself to me through me. He literally told me how much He loved me, and was literally asking me to let Him help in my life.Unfortunately, a few days later, I forgot about the verse completely, but just this past September, I started going back to church, and I once again asked God not to show Himself to me, but to help me find that verse once again. The first time I passed over it, I felt the exact same feelings I had when I read it for the first time.. Since that night in 04, I have never considered taking my life ever again.I've had other unexplainable experiences in my prayer life since September, but I feel that Him showing Himself to me through me has opened a window into my own soul, and given me a chance to experience how truly powerful prayer and love can really be.

 

[Wakka]

Thanks for the story

.

 

[Super Kal]

I do have a question though... does it have to be long in order to come from the heart?I love having a long talk with Christ, but not at the expense of repeating what I've already said, and I sometimes catch myself repeating the same things over and over... if I remember correctly, doesn't Christ frown upon that?

 

[dgc]

Super Kal,Petra has a song called "The power of a praying man." you may or may not be familiar with it. In it, it depicts great men of prayer and how God uses them you should listen to it some time. Also I am glad God has seen you through a very rough time in your life, Keep up the prayer life like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it becomes. God bless.

 

[dgc]

Wakka, I know a man whom came to the salvation of christ just by paying/crying out the name "Jesus, jesus, Jesus" as it was all he could say because his depression was so great. Today he is an paster evanglist in canada. Length is not important when it is from the heart.

 

[narnia59]

(Wakka;26610)
I don't understand it. Try as hard as I can, and the most I can ever get out of prayer is a measly 15 minutes. How did the saints of the old days pray for hours on end. They truly walked with the Lord.
I would say they practiced repetitious prayer. The constant focusing of the mind towards heaven. Such as the "Jesus" prayer from the Orthodox tradition -- "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner". I think it's also an understanding that there are many types of prayer. Certainly ordinary conversation, petitions, praise. But for walking in prayer for a lengthy period of time, contemplative or meditative works best, such as the Jesus prayer, or even the repetition of a particular scripture passage.Just my newbie opinion though.

 

[lastsecman]

In my current state, I only pray the Lord's prayer most nights before i go to bed, or when i need something from the Lord, because i dont feel like praying to Him as in like talking to him directly. Because sometimes when i pray i dont really mean what i pray from the heart, and i guess He'd not like that...don't know...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------exchanging one another's views and discussing one another's current states is goodLord Jesus Christ is God Himself in human flesh form, blessed is Him.

 

[Peacebewithyou]

I love that prayer. I also like to meditate on: Jesus, I trust in You. Sometimes my prayer time includes silence. I like to just sit before the Lord, quiet my heart and wait for Him to speak to me. ray4:

 

[Letsgofishing]

I posted this a couple times already but seeing as its my biggest experience faithwise, there are many things I can pull out of it. It’s amazing to me how God can speak to you in so many ways. He can speak to you in voice, thought, the bible, and even, and most often, other people.Throughout my life I’ve always believed that God was a kind and merciful I believed that no matter what you did he would forgive you. I also believed that he would do anything for you if you ask of it.But by the beginning of 2005 that image of God was about to change. It began with the tsunami. At first I thought that it was just another natural disaster, until I heard a fact about it that completely blew my mind.The fact was that if you took a map showing where the greatest persecution of Christians were, and took a map of where the tsunami hit they would show you the exact same areas. This fact alone showed an image of God that I had never known before. Instead of a kind and merciful God this showed a wrathful and angry God.Pretty soon many things in my life approved of the wrathful image of God. They ranged from books, radio shows and even my own teachers.Before long not only did I doubt the Catholic Church, and its view of God, but also my faith. Not only did God not feel like a real thing, but Jesus also felt further away and not real. My Christian Faith was in Jeopardy.So I did the only thing I could think of, turn to God. I asked him to show me what kind of God he was. That night when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a voice, “pick up the bible” and I knew instantly that God was talking to me. I opened the bible and without knowing it, turned to proverbs chapter 1. Throughout the chapter one subject was in it. This subject was wisdom. I closed the bible and wondered what this had to do with my situation. And just before I reached the most obvious conclususion “nothing” It hit me. God was saying that he would give me wisdom. That wisdom came the very next day.That next day a guest Pastor was in our church. His name was Fr Peter Dougherty. During his homily he began with this sentence” most Christians belief the wrong things about God” And I grinned, this is where he’s going to tell everyone that God is a angrier God then most people think. Peter Dougherty began again “most Christians think he is an angry God, a God who doesn’t care about people, I am here to tell you today about Gods love.Suddenly I realized that God was talking to me. During that moment God was no longer an angry God but right there for, at that Jesus no longer felt far away but right next to me. And God kept talking to me, through Mrs. Crowley’s anti-war speeches, through mr.muneous religion classes, and most of all through the bible Overall I know now more about God then I did before. I know now he has a serious side which may be a bit harsher than we would care for, but overshadowing this is his love.I know because God has spoken to me. He has spoken through me by voice when he told me to read the bible. He spoke to me in my thoughts when he told me that he would give me wisdom. He spoke to me through proverbs 1 and he spoke to me through people telling his message. God is love.that prayer in Bold must have only lasted a couple seconds. It turned my life around.

 

[narnia59]

I would say they practiced repetitious prayer. The constant focusing of the mind towards heaven. Such as the "Jesus" prayer from the Orthodox tradition -- "Lord Jesus Christ' date=' have mercy on me a sinner". QUOTE']I love that prayer. I also like to meditate on: Jesus' date=' I trust in You. Sometimes my prayer time includes silence. I like to just sit before the Lord, quiet my heart and wait for Him to speak to me. ray4:[/QUOTE'] I would say silence is also a form of contemplative or meditative prayer. It is amazing how difficult it can be to maintain our focus for any period of time without outside thoughts intruding. The exercise shows us how vulnerable we are to the world intruding upon the kingdom of heaven. But it becomes easier over time, and repetitive prayer such as the Jesus prayer or the one you mention can help us to maintain the focus for extended periods of time I think.