Rediscover Prayer: A 30-Day Reading Plan From Addison BevereSample

REFLECT

How long should we pray? The problem with this question, and any answer, is that it places boundaries on prayer, reducing it to something that starts and stops, keeping it as a box that we check before we get on with or finish our day. But God’s design for prayer is too robust to fit into a transaction.

Praying without ceasing is not a constant chore. It’s an invitation into a place of ongoing rest, a place where we recognize that the Lord is at hand, that his presence is with us, and for that reason, we can and will face whatever lies before us.

To pray without ceasing is to live aware.

RECENTER

Take a minute to bring yourself back to the true center of your life: God. Here is a simple prayer that will help you surrender this place, this time, and your awareness to God. “I am here.”

REST

Pause. Breathe. Be still.

In the silence and stillness, listen to your life. Let the necessary words and images form in your consciousness. What thoughts are seeing you from entering rest today?

RECEIVE

What is God saying to you? Write down the whispers, the intimations, the promptings that rise from the pages of Scripture or within your spirit.

RESPOND

How is God inviting you to partner with him today? God’s words become real to us as we move in faith.