Building A Daily Prayer HabitSample

How Do You Pray—Joy

It has often been said that it’s when things are going well that we neglect prayer the most. We might get the impression that joy and prayer are on opposite ends of a spectrum. But Paul presents us with a strong link between the two. This is not simplistic: it’s not that joy always leads to prayer, nor that prayer invariably leads to joy. But there is a rich relationship here.

In Philippians 4, Paul tells us to rejoice. Always. This in itself is enough to disillusion us of simple equations of happiness and joy. Paul’s command is that we rejoice in the Lord. This is a significant qualifier. When we seat our joy in God, then the roller coaster of our circumstances can affect our moods, but never our joy. Our joy is always God-directed.

So if prayer is about being with God, then prayer is always a place where joy can be found. Again, this will not always involve brimming smiles and cartwheels. But if your joy is indeed in the Lord, then prayer is always a source. 

Prayer is essential to true joy because joy comes from the Lord, and prayer places us in God’s presence.

Come to God in joy. Not the happy-slappy kind, but the kind that knows—even when circumstances are devastating—that there is life to be found in God. The kind of joy that crawls into his presence, longing for his embrace, for an infusion of his love and life. It’s this kind of deeply rooted joy that sustains a daily prayer habit.  

Tip for Cultivating a Daily Prayer Habit: As you begin your regular prayer times, ask yourself if you want to be with the Lord. Do you believe there is joy to be found in him? You may need to actually ask this question on a daily basis until you are trained to expect to find that joy in prayer. 

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