“We will not accept into membership anyone with any reservations whatsoever. We will not accept into our membership anyone unless he is an active, disciplined, working member in one of our organizations.” That’s a strong statement on commitment. Do you know who made it? Those are the words of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of Russian Communism. And he was able to get people to make that kind of commitment to a godless cause!

Today I want to share some suggestions on how you can make a commitment to prayer in your daily life.

First of all, Pray. By that I mean more than “just do it.” You can ask God to help you pray. Don’t think that it is something that you can do on your own by sheer determination or willpower. Ask God to help you make a commitment to prayer and also to help you stick to it.

Set a time in your day for nothing but prayer. Pick whatever works for you. At night, just before going to bed; in the morning when you first get up; maybe during your commute to work. Let it be a sacred time, one that is dedicated to your conversation with God. Make it part of your routine.

Look at the prayers of others. Get a book of prayers. While prayers don’t have to be written, there is nothing wrong with those that are. You can look at the ones in the hymnal. You will find a wide variety of prayers based on everything from the lessons for each Sunday to specific requests. Looking at how others have worded their prayers might help you in your own praying.

However, prayer should be more than just a formal thing that takes place at only certain times and using certain words. It should be part of everything throughout the day. And perhaps this will be the most helpful suggestion for you to make prayer a part of your daily life: Don’t limit prayer to the closet – let it be part of who you are all day long! The struggles of living in this world should drive you to God, not away from Him. Prayer is a state of mind more than anything else. But you can get so wrapped up in what you are doing that you forget about God.

Something that can bring you back to the proper attitude is the use of cues, things that will remind you to pray. Something that Cheryl started in our family is the use is 1-2-3-4. Everywhere you look these days you see digital clocks. Long ago Cheryl made an agreement that she would watch for 12:34, 1-2-3-4, everyday on the clock, and when she saw it, that would be her reminder to pray for her girls. The girls also watch for that time, knowing that their mother is praying for them and to remind them to pray for each other. But it is not just the clock. If they see 1-2-3-4 on a billboard or license plate or in a store, they will use that as a reminder to pray for our family. And now I am in on it, too. A simple little cue.

Come up with cues that help you remember to pray. Maybe you can pick a word that, every time you hear it, will remind you to pray. Or an activity could be your cue, like walking to the mailbox. Having cues will help you become more committed to a life of prayer. And you will discover one of the wonderful benefits: Prayer Changes Things. James 5:16b tells us The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. It can and will change things.

Some parents had a child that was uncontrollable. They decided to pray for the child every three hours, at 9, 12, 3, 6, 9. They soon reported to their pastor that things were wonderful. The pastor asked, “did the child change that much?” “No,” the mother replied. “I changed.”

You never know how God will answer, but you know that for Jesus’ sake He will, and it will be for your good. Take up your commitment to prayer.