Grace through the disciplines

I mentioned in a previous post about some time away I had to study, think, and pray.

One thing that I felt that the Spirit convicted me about was the need to pray more and to be focused in the spiritual discipline of prayer. Books by John Piper, Graeme Goldsworthy, and Philip Yancey were very encouraging and challenging.

One particular element that Piper recommended concerning prayer was the 'IOU'S method.'

• Incline our ears (Psalm 119:36) - in other words, bend our ears in a direction that we can hear from you
  
• Open our eyes (Psalm 119:18) - make us see past the sin that blinds us to the truth that sets us free
  
• Unite our hearts (Psalm 86:11) - make my whole heart be desiring you, not just portions
  
• Satisfy us (Psalm 90:14) - make me satisfied with no less than your abiding presence in my life each day
  

Each of these requests change our focus, and makes sure our hearts are trusting in Christ. I would encourage you to use something like this to make sure you are not just praying like this, "Lord, bless_____, and give me _______, and bless ________, and give me ________."