Seeing Progress with Prayer
I take time to observe what God is doing and how God is answering prayers.
Do you know what keeps me motivated to consistently do certain things in life? One word: progress. Seeing progress happen is a key motivator to becoming consistent with pretty much anything in life. Seeing progress in physical strength motivates people to keep working out at the gym. Seeing progress in musical ability motivates people to keep practicing playing an instrument. Seeing progress in achieving goals motivates people to keep working on a project or a business. In contrast, observing a lack of progress can be hugely demotivating. If I can't see even just a little bit of progress towards something, I'll start to question whether or not what I'm doing is actually worth it in the end.
It's the same with prayer. One of the things that keeps me motivated to be consistent in praying is seeing progress towards God's answer to the prayer requests that I make. Although God may not fully answer a prayer request right away (He can and does, of course, answer right away at times), I still believe that He is working behind the scenes to answer those prayers. I try my best to observe any progress being made to the prayer items that I lift up to God. And of course, I really enjoy seeing God fully answer any prayer requests in His proper timing. On a regular basis, I take time to observe what God is doing and how God is answering prayers. If I notice these things, I'm much more likely to keep praying to God and be consistent in this vital spiritual discipline.
One of the things that helps me observe what God is doing and the progress that is being made to prayer requests is simply writing the requests down on paper. I use the back of my journal to jot down prayer requests. I then observe how God is answering the prayer requests. It's very rewarding to see any movement of God in a prayer request even if it hasn't been fully answered yet. And of course, it's always a cause for a "mini celebration" every time a prayer request is finally answered. By writing the prayer requests down, l give myself the chance to observe progress being made toward their answers. And I get to note any time a prayer is finally answered. It's not unusual for me to see a long line of answered prayer requests at the back of my journal. This is very motivating.
This simple act of writing down prayer requests and observing the progress and answers from God really motivates me to keep praying and be consistent with the practice over a long period of time. Try it and see if it will help you stay motivated in prayer.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
