A Prayer Experiment for Lent
A Simple Method to Strengthen Your Communication with God, Revitalize Your Faith, and Rediscover the Power of Prayer
For 2,000 years, the church has called Christians to engage in a 40-day Lenten journey — a time for spiritual renewal and realignment. Like spring cleaning, Lent, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for “Spring,” can be a season of rebirth and growth. Just as the earth reawakens after winter, a Christian is called to grow strong in the faith.
Our lives often become complicated and rushed, requiring us to balance priorities within an earthly and worldly context: schedules, appointments, lists, duties, obligations, and responsibilities. But during the 40-day Lenten season, we are encouraged to pause, quiet the noise, and recalibrate our lives. This time is not about earning God’s gift but about fully embracing the Christian faith.
Jesus’ Life of Prayer
Jesus entered our world, facing its challenges and temptations, yet he remained true to himself. His perfect life wasn’t due to divine nature in every way. It was the product of his unwavering commitment to prayer. His daily communion with the Father gave him the strength and resolve he needed to do the Father’s will perfectly.
The prayer life of Jesus was very straightforward. He prayed. And he prayed often.
His prayer life is not conditioned on being in a suitable place or even at a scheduled time. Luke records that he prayed in the desert and other lonely places. Sometimes, he prayed all night. In the last week of his life, he went to a place in the Kidron Valley and prayed so passionately that his sweat became like drops of blood.
The most amazing aspect of Jesus’ prayer life is in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus gathered his disciples around him. They have seen the miracles, the teaching, and his power to overcome demonic forces. Yet, when allowed to ask the Lord to teach them something, they are for only one thing. They do not ask for special knowledge, spiritual abilities, or persuasive powers. The Lord’s prayer life was so central to His ministry that they simply and profoundly asked: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
A Prayer Experiment
Several years ago, I realized that I was not praying deeply and wanted to rekindle my relationship with God. To motivate myself and other believers to pray more, I devised a simple plan called “The Prayer Experiment.” My goal was not to conduct a scientific study on prayer effectiveness but to encourage Christians to pray firmly that God is our loving Father who can be very active in our lives.
The method of this format is to pray earnestly before God and see if He will answer, address, or otherwise move in our lives in very specific areas of need.
This “experiment” has been undertaken by many people since it was first devised, and it has convinced many of the power of prayer, launching them on their Christian journey of faith and prayer.
This method is a way to structure your individual prayer time each day. It can be done in the morning, evening, or both if you prefer. It should take 10 or 12 minutes at most, but you can take as long as you want.
I suggest trying out this short daily plan as an experiment to see how God will address your needs and answer your prayers.
The Prayer Experiment
(Before you begin this plan, take the time to list three of the blessings or gifts that God has provided for you. Also, list three needs, concerns, worries, or issues for which you need His intervention, guidance, or answer. Keep both lists for the entire 40-day period.)
Spend 10 minutes daily in a quiet place, free from distractions and interruptions. Then, in the privacy of your thoughts, consider and pray through each of these topics.
- Each day, confess your sins and commit yourself to God each time.
- Each day, thank the Lord for all the blessings of your life, especially mentioning three things for which you are thankful. Be specific.
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_______________________________________ - Each day, bring before the Lord the issues in your life that need resolution, attention, or guidance. Be specific and honest. Imagine the Lord is as concerned about each of them as you are. Thank the Lord for answering your prayer or need, whatever it may be.
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_______________________________________ - Conclude by praying the Lord’s Prayer out loud.
Remember, we have the loving Father who is always willing to listen to us, and the Lord who sacrificed His life to save us, and the Holy Spirit to empower us.
David Roseberry writes posts and books on relevant topics, applying biblical truth and wisdom. His work can be found at LeaderWorks, where he is Executive Director.
