Here are two important prayer principles: 1) When troubles are surrounding us, we should talk to God. During good times, we have a tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God. It’s the troubled times that drive us to prayer – a worrying health issue, a failed exam, conflict in the family, or fears about the future are just some examples. God can use times of trouble to help us realise that we need Him. Hosea the prophet said, ‘In their misery they will earnestly seek [God]’ (Hosea 5:15 NIV). God’s fatherly heart wants above all that we abide and confide in Him. And sometimes it takes trouble to convince us to trust Him. But when we turn to Him in our troubles, we discover that He is ‘our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 NLT). 2) Talk to God at all times. In his widely-read classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence speaks of prayer as a continual conversation with God – a practice for all times, places, and circumstances. While cooking and washing dishes, he found talking to God as satisfying as in his allotted prayer times. He counsels us: ‘That we may accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him…in simplicity. That we need only to recognise God intimately present with us, and to address ourselves to Him every moment.’ That sounds like Paul’s instructions on the subject: ‘Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people’ (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).
