The daily sacrifice, in the Old Testament, looked like this.

“Every day for all time to come, sacrifice on the altar two one-year-old lambs. Sacrifice one of the lambs in the morning and the other in the evening.  – Exodus 29:38-39 GNT

The daily offering grabbed my attention because it is something, as a follower of Christ, that I can practice. My walk with Him is daily and this two times a day offering reminds me how important it is for me to have a quiet time of prayer at least twice a day. The sacrifices of prayer and praise should be morning and evening and they should have a moment where we seek the repentance of our sins remembering the atoning blood and sacrifice of Jesus.

Prayer is not really a solitary exercise, even when I pray alone. I believe it brings me in touch with the body of Christ. Prayer affects the lives of others and how we live together. While Jesus prayed alone look at His work afterwards.

Then everyone went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. – John 8:1 GNT

There are two truths that Jesus shares that caught my attention.

So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples. – John 8:31 GNT

My actions are evidence of my walk with Jesus and that walk is indispensable to me praying with faith and hope.

 He who comes from God listens to God’s words. You, however, are not from God, and that is why you will not listen.” – John 8:47 GNT

If I am listening to God, I know I am walking with Him.

Let me break in here with some words of wisdom from Proverbs. When I served in the church, I became aware of women who loved to come and talk about prayer, ask for prayer, looking for times of Bible study etc just in order to be close to men.

My child, pay attention and listen to my wisdom and insight. Then you will know how to behave properly, and your words will show that you have knowledge. The lips of another man’s wife may be as sweet as honey and her kisses as smooth as olive oil, but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain. – Proverbs 5:1-3 GNT

I hyperlinked the section above because the writer of this piece knows of what he writes. I pray God gives us wisdom as we engage with Him in prayer.

I also want to break in here a comment of my ministry to my Arabic and Farsi speaking Muslims who understand they are servants of God – servant or slave – fully submitted to God. Yet they cannot grasp the Biblical concept that we move from being servants to becomings children of God.

 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children. – Galatians 4:7 GNT

As His child, my prayer life changes dramatically.

When I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts (for the flesh and the devil always impede and obstruct prayer), I take my little psalter, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and, as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and, if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some psalms, just as a child might do. – Luther