You are reading Digging Deeper, so I am going to take a wild guess and say that you are not new to the idea of prayer. Many of you have a rich prayer life that I would envy. Your intimacy with God is a solid part of your faith. If you’re in that stage of your faith, keep going! I pray you find something useful for yourself or someone you know this week.
But maybe you are reading Digging Deeper for the first time (or first time in a while). WELCOME! I pray we can give you some direction for your prayer life, not a formula, but a direction.
I think the third group of readers today are those of you who would say that you have had an intimate, growing prayer life in the past, but it has drifted into a stagnant place. You need some renewal. I pray that you will find your way back to that place of intimacy where God is waiting.

FIND A PLACE – Someplace quiet is usually best, but if you are in that stagnant place in your prayer life, then maybe a change of venue would help. Even if your prayer life is rock solid, going somewhere else can still make a big difference.

SET A TIME – Set an alarm and label it “PRAY,” then take a set amount of time and focus. If you can handle fifteen minutes, then start there. Writing prayers down is a sure way to make the time go by quickly. If fifteen minutes go by too quickly, then add more time, or set a second or third alarm; who says you can only pray once a day?

BE HONEST WITH GOD AND YOURSELF – Prayer matters. It’s most impactful when you take it seriously, draw close to God, and stay humble.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. .James 4:7-10 (NLT)

Start today. I will be praying for you.