“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” – (Psalm 5:3 NIV)

I get up early in the morning five days a week for work. And, honestly, my first thought is often more about coffee than God! But, I do grab my Bible and journals as I make my way to my first cup. I have to be at work early so I have very little time to waste.

As I was reflecting on morning prayer recently – I came to this conclusion; that my experience in morning prayer is much like trying to crank up an old car. Sometimes I feel like just when I’m getting ‘cranked up’ – its time to leave and go to work. Other times, I enter into prayer easily and quickly. But, the key to prayer is; consistency, and endurance, even when we feel nothing.

The men and women of God in the past and the present that I admire most, are people who value prayer. Effective prayer warriors have this in common; their prayers are saturated with Scriptures. Praying God-breathed words will transform our vocabulary and our thinking. And, it helps us to pray the will of God more effectively.

It’s vitally important to study the prayer life of Paul and to follow his example in prayer. He prayed for the spiritual transformation (which is on-going) of the Church. His prayers were positive and not focused on the negative. It’s understandable for us to pray against evil, because it is all around us. And Jesus (who is the chief Apostle and High Priest of our faith) taught us to pray for deliverance from evil.  The Apostle Paul taught us about the nature of our adversary and how to stand in the power of God against evil.

Below are a few prayers from the book of Ephesians that I pray for myself and others on a regular basis.

Ephesians 1

Heavenly Father, I ask for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know Jesus better.

I ask that you would enlighten the eyes of ____heart. So that they may know your glorious inheritance and great power that you’ve made available to your children.

Ephesians 3

Heavenly Father, strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner being. Help me to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. And fill me with all the fulness of God. Amen