If you haven’t prayed to God much about other things, is it OK to all of a sudden pray for something you need?  Someone recently asked me this.  He had prayed to God that his new business idea would prosper.  The person who asked me said he hadn’t really prayed much to God for other things recently.  And yet he said he felt God’s presence when a friend prayed out loud for his business to prosper.

Opening yourself up to God is what matters 

I answered that it seemed to me that God wants you to pray and get in touch with him, so any sort of prayer on anything that’s important to you can be a prayer jump starter where you open yourself up to God.  This included praying for a job or business.

Life circumstances that start us praying again

There are many life circumstances that can start us praying again.  Sudden illness.  Being in a dangerous or life threatening situation.  Needing help with decisions.  Making a mess of our lives.  Failure.  Pursuing  a big dream that’s going to take a lot of work.  The end of a relationship.  Being unfairly treated.  Getting married.  Feeling like life is meaningless.  Becoming a new parent.  Feeling trapped.  Needing help with addiction.  Starting a new job.  Moving away from family and friends.  Divorce.  Death of a loved one.  The list is endless.

Why I call them jump starter prayers

I call these jump starter prayers because they’re what you need when your prayers have gone a little on the dead side like an unused car battery.  The way to get jump started is to connect to the power source – God.  And that’s what prayer does.  You don’t need to know all sorts of complicated theology to pray a jump starter prayer.  A jump starter prayer will practically pray itself in your time of need.

In the case of the person who asked me about praying for his business, he had a colleague he knew and trusted who prayed the jump starter prayer.  The colleague suggested they pray about the business.    The colleague did the praying out loud.

Be in the moment and pray

The person who asked me the question agreed to the colleague’s prayer and allowed himself to be in the moment believing that because his friend cared about this, God somehow cared to.  He opened  himself to the possibility that God was interested in him, in his business, his future, his life.  All of these things are actually very big deals when you think about it.  They are the building blocks of faith.  They are the entry points of a closer relationship with God.  Obviously it’s not the place God wants you to stay forever when it comes to your relationship with Him, but it’s the place you are now.  That’s what matters.

Ideas for the rest of the journey

After you use a jump starter prayer, make it a point to learn as much as you can about God, Jesus, the Bible and prayer.  Find someone farther along who can help you on this journey.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  So start right here, right now with the circumstances you need help with.  And start talking to God.

Here are some articles you might find helpful:

The basics of Christian prayer in Scritpures

How to increase the power of your prayers by getting to know Jesus personally

How to increase the power of your prayers by using the Bible

How to increase the power of your prayers by finding ways of praying that work for you

How to increase the power of your prayers by developing regular prayer times.

Copyright Karen Barber 2017.  All rights reserved.