( and ourselves ) make these prayer practices our own , we built practical tools , providing “ handles ” to help us pray like these extraordinary leaders , growing to be praying leaders in our own right .
“ Wasting Time ” with Jesus As busy leaders , the natural approach to prayer would be to dive into praying lists and seek God ’ s blessing on our plans . Yet one of the first and most important practices we saw praying leaders model was a “ friendship first ” approach to prayer . The leaders we interviewed first spent time just being with Jesus , enjoying Jesus , and listening to Jesus . One leader , a busy New York financier and generous giver , schedules extended time just to be with Jesus in what he calls “ wasting time ” with Jesus . Because that ’ s what friends do ; they waste time together .
Jesus taught that our friendship with Him is where the true fruit comes from . Francis
Chan starts his day with a walk of friendship , just enjoying Jesus every morning . Tim Mackie takes an extended time of silence each morning to simply receive the love of Jesus into his heart , soul , and mind . Another leader says it this way : “ I pray until my soul is happy in God .”
So many other practices emerged , like utilizing prayer postures , practicing the presence of God , crafting a day with God , Lectio Divina , the Examen , fasting , creating a Rule of Life , surrendering outcomes before asking for direction , and many more .
Creating Cultures of Prayer Before building a culture of prayer where they lead , it was abundantly clear that praying leaders prioritized and modeled prayer personally . One leader put it best : “ You cannot multiply by zero .”
But a hallmark of the praying leaders we
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